


Sweet Dreams, Princess

by yourenotacat



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Mental Health Issues, Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Mutual Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2019-11-13 12:30:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 39,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18031763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourenotacat/pseuds/yourenotacat
Summary: With their dark pasts haunting their dreams, Link and Zelda are unfortunate insomniacs, desperate to stay awake and occupy their minds by any means necessary. When the silent farmhand and the former Home Coming Queen form an unlikely bond, will they finally be able to stay asleep just for one night?





	1. Four Months

Four months.

That was all that Link had to suffer through before graduating and leaving behind his hometown of Hyrule. At seventeen, he had no idea where he would go or what he would do, but knew that he couldn’t stay at home any longer. He had a brief episode of running away at fourteen, only to return home in a week, starving and frozen half to death. But he was older now, more mature, and could handle himself out on the streets if he had to—so he thought.

He didn’t _dislike_ living with his grandparents. They let him do as he pleased as long as he maintained the farmland to their standards, but their expectations were high and the labor was too much for him alone. Countless arguments had occurred about hiring another farmhand to do some of the work, but they just didn’t have the money. Time hadn’t been kind to their bodies either, leaving nearly all of the work to fall onto Link’s shoulders.

_3:00 am,_ Link thought, _time to get moving._

He rose from his bed unrested like every other night and slipped on a pair of pants from the floor. His bedroom was tiny with only a single bed, a dresser, and a bookshelf all crammed into the corners. In the middle, there was a narrow walkway, just wide enough for his skinny body, that stretched from his bed to the door. He picked up a black hoodie off the top of the dresser and sniffed it. It wasn’t pleasant, but he had smelled worse. He threw that over his head and then worked his shoulder-length dirty blonde hair into a low ponytail, leaving the shorter pieces out in front. He ran his hand over his hair, feeling if it was smooth, and once he was satisfied with how it felt, he left his room.

The farmhouse was a single-story on twenty and a half acres of land. It was a tiny farm compared to all the surrounding lands; it paid the bills and not much else. He walked through the dark living room to the kitchen. He flipped on the light to the backyard and on cue, Rosa, the white stray cat who had decided to make the back porch her home, rose from her slumber, stretching out her paws in front of her and yawning.

Link unlocked the door with a friendly meow greeting him. He gently smiled and tickled the spot underneath her chin that she loved. His fingernails scratched in that oh-so-good way that only he knew how to do to her. Not much made Link happy, but Rosa was the exception. She had shown up on the back porch during a heavy rain storm two summers ago. He had tried to shoo her away with a broom for an hour, but she was cute and persistent, always coming back as soon as Link took his eyes off her.

He scooped some dry kibble into her bowl, and she crunched away as he went off to the barn. He set to work grooming the horses, sweeping the barn, and collecting eggs from the chicken coop. After finishing, he hopped inside the farm’s only tractor. It was ancient, but with all the maintenance Link had put in, it ran smoothly enough to get the job done. He started it up and the loud humming from the machine vibrated his entire body. It was almost soothing. Behind the wheel of the tractor, he felt powerful, the only time in his life that he had ever felt that way.

He rode around the perimeter of the land, inspecting the fencing for any defects, finding none. He returned to the barn and let the cows out into the fields for the day. They happily swaggered out into the grass and dispersed amongst the fields. Link checked the time on his watch. _6:54._

Heading back inside the farmhouse, he gave Rosa a soft rub down her back a few times, and relocked the back door. His grandparents were still asleep in their bedroom, their bed creaking as one of them switched positions. Link opened the fridge and grabbed an energy drink he had stowed there, the only thing keeping him awake for the day. He lifted his backpack off the floor by the front door and left to catch his bus.

He was the only farm boy who went to Hyrule High School. All the other teenagers on his road went to the rural high school of Faron, but his grandparent’s farmhouse just made the cut-off point for the school district. Everyone else at Hyrule High was a wealthy suburbanite who didn’t understand Link, his family dynamics, and why he usually smelled like hay and horse shit. He had gotten used to being the awkward outsider long before high school started so it wasn’t a problem anymore for him. Everyone kept their distance from him and he did the same.

The bus traveled along the dirt road, meeting Link as he stood by the mailbox out front. He was always the first stop no matter the change in bus routes because his was the furthest house from the high school. He slunk into the last row of seats and cracked open his energy drink. Today—like every other day—was going to be a long one.

At the next stop, Saria, the only person Link considered a friend, boarded the bus. Her light green hair was short, almost entirely shaved, and her nose was pierced on her right nostril and her septum. She sat down next to Link in the back row.

They were friends in a sense. They didn’t hang out outside of school or know each other’s birthdays, but they often shared the same smoking spot behind the dumpsters near the basketball courts and listened to music. She wasn’t a loner like Link as he had seen her plenty of times laughing in the hallways with her friends. He figured she probably enjoyed the quieter moments away from everyone else like him and that’s why she stuck around. Link preferred that she sat with him over anyone else on the bus and he knew she felt the same. She dug into her bag as she sat down and pulled out her pack of cigarettes.

“I owe you one,” she stated, handing a single cigarette to Link. He nodded and stuck it into his own pack to enjoy later.

That was the only thing said between them for the entire ride to Hyrule High.

\---

Zelda eyes snapped open as she sat up in bed panting heavily. Tears bubbled to her eyes as she attempted to catch her breath. Her fingers grasped at the bed sheets, yanking them towards her face, hiding herself away as much as she could. _It’s okay,_ she thought, calming herself down. _It was just a dream._

It was the third time that night she had had a nightmare, waking herself in a panic. She breathed deeply, trembling uncontrollably. Her own hands felt numb, and she tightly squeezed them to regain feeling, to ground herself to the present.

This was a usual night for Zelda, if she slept. It had been her new normal for the past six months since—

She focused on her breathing again. Inhale, exhale. Her heart no longer thumped in her ears, and her eyes had dried completely. Her dreams hadn’t been this bad in the past few days, but the added stress of returning to school likely exacerbated them.  _Maybe,_ she thought, _I should bring that up next session._

Once she felt safe again, she grabbed her phone from her nightstand. _5:57._ It was too early to get ready for school, but she decided to do it anyway. She showered, releasing the tension from her nightmare down the drain with the dirty water, and braided her wet blonde hair to the left side of her head.

Down the hall, she heard the shuffling of footsteps. She held her breath; they kept walking past, descending the stairs. She let out the air she was holding. Quickly, she scurried back to her bedroom. It wasn’t that she was actively trying to avoid her father—she was—but he had nothing but sadness behind his eyes for her, a constant reminder that something had changed between them. Guilt rested in her heart every time she looked at him. One deep breath in, then out.

Zelda pulled a soft blue sweater from her closet and buried her face in it to take in the scent. The smell of clean laundry had always been comforting towards her and wearing something that smelled so fresh would put her in a good mood, so she thought. The sweater covered her torso as she pulled her braid through the neck opening, resting it against her shoulder. She wiggled into a pair of black skinny jeans and then examined herself in the mirror.

Though nothing about her had physically changed—her body was still slim, her skin was still soft, her fingernail polish was still chipped—the person staring back at her was unrecognizable. With another deep breath, she smiled at herself. It felt empty. Her eyes seemed heavy, lifeless.

“Baby steps,” she whispered, as she turned away entirely. It was time to face her father again.

The aroma of coffee filled the hallway as Zelda stepped out into it. Sounds of eggs sizzling and her father humming gently to himself met her ears. _This is okay. You’re okay._

Her pattering footsteps broke through the quietness of the kitchen. Her father lifted his gaze from the stovetop to greet her with a warm smile and gentle eyes, those eyes filled with pity that made her heart ache. “Good morning, sweetheart,” he said softly.

“Morning,” Zelda said, repeating that same tone. He flipped the eggs over in the skillet.

“I didn’t think you’d be up this early. I was going to try to wake you up with breakfast in bed.” His words weren't meant to elicit guilt, but somehow, she still felt that way.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. Now we can eat breakfast together.” He flashed a smile up at her, and she returned a smaller one to him. He was trying. Could she ask for anything else?

“Thank you. I really appreciate this.” She meant it from the bottom of her heart. It felt good, normal.

“Can I ask?” She nodded as she sat down at the island countertop. “How did you sleep?”

“I woke up three times, which is up from the last two weeks, but down overall. I’m getting back to sleep easier though, which I think is a good sign.” Her father moved to the toaster, inserted four slices, and lowered the lever.

“Do you think your sleeping pill is working?” He countered.

“I guess. It’s just making me tired.” She shrugged. Her father looked at her with that gaze that she hated. She needed to make it stop. “But it should get better, right? That’s what Dr. Purah said during our last session.”

“Yeah, it should. I just don’t want you pushing yourself too hard. If you want to stay home today, you can. I can call the school and say—”

“No, I’m okay. I can do it.” A lie, but she could sell it. Her father nodded.

“If you say so. I just want what’s best for you.” The toaster sprung the toast to the top as her father turned the stovetop off.

“I know you do. This is good for me. Getting back to normal is what’s important, right?” She smiled again, more genuinely than before. He smiled back.

“Right.”

\---

Third period had come and gone in an instant, and Link walked down the hallway towards his fourth period gym class. The hallways were abuzz today, and it was getting under his skin, his hands clenched inside of his hoodie pocket. He couldn’t think of a reason why everyone was so talkative and what all the hushed whispers were about. Did something happen that he missed? Did he even care?

_No, not really,_ he decided. He went to his locker to grab his gym clothes, his fingers twisting the lock to the right, then left, and right again. It satisfyingly popped open, and he yanked the clothes from the bottom of the locker where they had lived all semester. To his right, the blonde lockermate he hadn’t seen in weeks had returned.

_Ah,_ he said to himself, connecting the dots. _The princess is back._

Zelda had been assigned the locker to the right of Link’s every year of high school, but they had never spoken a single word. She had always been _that_ girl to him—the one who spoke too loudly, who was too self-centered, whose friends took up too much locker space around them. He had always viewed her as a snooty goody-two-shoes, a wealthy brat. She was the daughter of Hyrule’s mayor after all. He had jokingly started referring to her as “ _the princess_ ” to himself in his sophomore year because of the impression she had left on him. But in this moment, she seemed different, less like herself, which Link hated that he could pick up on.

His eyes lingered for too long, and she felt his gaze. She side-eyed him quickly before turning back to enter her combination, tugging hard on the lock when it didn’t come undone. She centered herself and concentrated on trying again. Link grabbed his coat from his locker too as she still fumbled with the lock. Her hands were shaking, he noticed.

After another failed attempt, she threw it hard into the locker. It loudly clanged against the metal. Link jumped slightly at the noise as he closed his. She saw.

“Sorry.” Her voice was soft, but frazzled. She wasn’t looking at him, but at the lock. He hesitated as he examined her, taking in this unfamiliar persona. She didn’t look as bubbly as usual, as _annoying_. He sort of felt sorry for her, something he didn’t know he was capable of feeling.

Link reached in front of her and grabbed the lock. She looked over at him, the first time she had taken him in. He had a small frame, probably no taller than 5’6” without his boots on. His clothes were far too big for his body. His hands were rough and calloused; his fingernails short with a thick layer of dirt underneath them. He held the lock in his hand silently. After a few seconds, he gazed up her. It was the first time they had made eye contact, and Zelda felt a familiarity in his heavy, sleep-deprived blue eyes, like she was looking into her own reflection.

“Oh,” Zelda said, shaking her head, pulling herself away from her thoughts, and turning away from Link’s gaze. “It’s 28…42…12.”

He turned the dial as instructed and pulled on the lock, popping it open. He immediately handed it back to her. She smiled, just slightly, as she took it from his hand.

“Thank you, Link.”

_How does she know my name?_

He nodded once at her and walked off towards his fourth period class, feeling uncomfortable about the exchange between them. Everyone knew who she was, but why would she know who he was? He was nobody.

Once he was in the gymnasium, the thoughts of Zelda and her lock were long gone from his mind. He was jonesing for a cigarette now and no better time than gym class to sneak out and smoke. He changed into his gym clothes, stood for the rollcall, and then snuck out the side door with his coat and cigarettes in tow.

Next to the dumpsters in the building’s little side nook, Link sat down so he was hidden. He pulled out the cigarette Saria had given him this morning from his pack and lit it between his lips. Taking in a breath of smoke, he felt his anxiety decrease instantly. How relaxing it was to have his first cigarette of the day.

He dragged on the stick constantly for a minute before feeling as okay as he could again. His eyes drooped, the energy drink’s effect fading fast, as his head rocked forward and then snapping back up. He didn’t want to fall asleep, not here and not now, but his body leaned against the building’s stone and betrayed him.

_He was floating above an abyss of dark blue water. The waves beneath him crashing against the shoreline. Where was he?_

_He turned all the way around, but seemed to still face the same position towards the shoreline. His feet touched the sand, but it was sharp and hard against the contours of his soles. This was new; he hadn’t been here before._

_He reached down below and scooped the water into his hand. It felt gelatinous and poured through his fingers like a thick honey._

“ _Hello?” he called out to no one. His voice echoing, sounding foreign to his own ears. “Hello?” he tried, again._

_The world seemingly collapsed onto itself as the water and sand poured together into a funnel with him drowning in between them. They swirled around and round, water then sand. His lungs filling up with both, unable to breathe. His fingers darted around him in every direction, grasping onto their surfaces, a desperate attempt to catch hold and lift himself out, but there was nothing to hold onto. Everything slipped through his fingertips. He kept sinking. His breaths becoming shorter and shorter. The world around him darkening faster and faster until—_

“Link!” A hard shove on his shoulder jolted him awake. His panicked eyes searched around to find only Saria before him, looking at him with concern as she crushed his cigarette beneath the toe of her shoe. His hand pulsated between his fingers, the cigarette leaving its mark on him. “Again? That’s the third time this month.”

Link shrugged and dug his hands into his coat pockets. If he were somebody else, he’d be embarrassed, but he wasn’t. She had found him asleep back here plenty of times, but every time he fell asleep with a lit cigarette, she seemed extra concerned for him. “Do you want to be alone?” she asked kindly.

He shook his head back and forth as she sat down beside him. She pulled out her own cigarette and lighter. Hers clicked a few times unsuccessfully before Link offered her his flame. With the stick between her lips, she leaned down into the lighter and smiled.

“Thanks, Link.”

The words reminded him of Zelda again. A few years ago, he started carrying a tiny notebook around with him whenever he wanted to talk to somebody—almost always Saria. It was no bigger than the size of his hand. He flipped to an empty page.

“ _Zelda?”_ He wrote and then handed the notebook to her. She read it and handed it back.

“Yeah? What about her?” she asked, putting the cigarette between her lips as she dug around in her backpack.

“ _What happened to her?”_ Link wrote on the second line. She pulled her earbuds from her bag as her brow furrowed and she released the smoke from her lungs.

“Seriously? You don’t know?” He shrugged and shook his head. She sighed. “It’s a lot to explain right now. But maybe later this week?” Link nodded. She brought the cigarette back to her mouth with a chuckle. “The biggest news in Hyrule in the past twenty years, and you’re just finding out about it. Seems about right.” He rolled his eyes with the faintest smile on his face. “What made you think of her?”

“ _Nothing,”_ he replied, the small smile fading as he closed the notebook. She offered him one of her earbuds, which he accepted. A lo-fi song he had never heard before played, and Saria returned to her smoking.

Why was _the princess_ on his mind again? He had only opened her locker. It wasn’t like he had done anything major for her. But in that moment when they looked at each other, a familiarity in her eyes hit him in the stomach. She looked as exhausted and as pissed off as Link felt. He truly felt sorry for her, but why? She had never once expressed concern over his fatigue in the past three and a half years that they had been lockermates. She had always been too self-absorbed in her own world to even acknowledge his existence.

_But she knew your name._

He rubbed his sunken eyes with the palms of his hands. It didn’t matter. In four months, he would never see her again. He was going to go as far away from Hyrule as hitchhiking would take him, and he would never turn back. No more farm work. No more high school. No more Zelda.

Just four months.


	2. Her New Normal

Getting her life back to normal was important to Zelda as it was her therapist’s suggestion. She wasn’t supposed to deny the events that had happened to her, but look at her life from this new perspective and see how she could maintain the parts of her past that she enjoyed. Zelda had desperately missed seeing her friends every day at school while she was gone. They had come to visit her during her absence, but it wasn’t the same as having them all around, all the time.

Her group of friends had sat at the same lunch table in the back-left corner of the cafeteria all of high school, and today was no different. Paya, Midna, Ilia, and Ruto sat around her, talking and enjoying their lunches. Zelda munched softly on an apple, her fingers skimming over the note her father had left for her in her lunchbox.

_You’re doing great today.   -Dad_

When he had packed her lunch during elementary school, he would always write a sweet note for her to read during lunchtime to get her through the rest of her day. She didn’t think he’d remember this morning to do it again, but he had, and that made her more emotional than she wanted to admit. Her father cared so much about her and what had she done for him recently in return? Ignored and avoided him. Why was she pushing him away?

“Zelda?”

“Hmm?” Her eyes snapped to Ruto’s, though the whole table stared at her. She smiled softly. “Sorry, lost in thought.”

“I asked,” Ruto said, “if you were thinking about prom yet? I went dress shopping last weekend and didn’t find anything, but now I’m window-shopping for a date. What about you?”

The tone of her voice seemed off, a sign that the conversation was forced, that her friends wanted to talk about anything besides what happened to her, but didn't know how. A cloud of apprehension hung among the group as they awaited Zelda's response. She still smiled despite it.

“No, not really. I saw a beautiful dress in a window display in Eldin the other day when my dad and I were driving past, but I haven’t been looking around." She tried to remember anything recent about her friend that she could add to the conversation, but came up empty. Only one question lingered in her mind. "Why aren’t you going with Ravali?”

As she took another bite into her apple, the entire table froze and dread filled her stomach. Wrong question. Ruto’s eyes squinted together as Ilia placed a calming hand on her shoulder. Paya quietly continued eating her salad without glancing up, a blush rising to her cheeks.

“They broke up a few months ago,” Midna announced with a mouthful of her sandwich, reassuringly looking at Zelda, “and honestly, good riddance.”

“He cheated on me,” Ruto said, her anger quelling slightly. “I guess I forgot to tell you.”

“I’m so sorry, Ruto. I didn’t know.” Zelda’s cheeks flushed as she stared down into her lap. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m not mad at you,” she said in that tone that meant that she was still mad, but just wanted to drop it. The table remained silent for a few seconds before Midna swallowed her bite and spoke again.

“I managed to find a dress. It’s all black with a slit up the right side. I think it’ll be nice to show a little leg, what do you guys think?” Suddenly, the tensions were gone and replaced with prom talk again. Zelda quietly sighed to herself as Midna gave her a quick wink before taking another bite. She smiled back, thankful for the recovery.

She really was out of the loop with her friends. What else had she missed out on? Would she ever know? _Probably not._ She hadn't imagined that _this_ was how her first interaction back with her friends would go. She thought it would be filled with laughter and them just goofing around. Were their conversations always this boring? They couldn’t have been, right? She felt that tightness in her stomach, a thick knot winding itself up. Hiding her jittery hands in her lap, she hoped no one noticed she was diving off the edge.

“Did you get the homework for Zant’s class?” Paya asked sincerely as the other girls chatted. She felt some relief wash over her. A distraction.

“No. I feel like I’m so behind in that class. Calc isn’t something you can teach yourself at home,” Zelda forcefully joked to her. She giggled return.

“It’s not like his teaching is much better. You probably know more than the rest of us.” The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. The knot squeezed inside of her again. They all packed up their lunchboxes, heading back towards the hallway with the rest of the students. “Do you want to walk to class together?”

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom really quick. I’ll meet you there?” she asked, and Paya nodded, following the rest of the students. Zelda slipped into the girl’s bathroom next to the cafeteria and quickly locked herself into the stall furthest from the door, her fingers shaking as they jangled the lock into place.

She placed her back against the wall and buried her face into her hands. Tears immediately poured from her eyes and onto her hands. Her breathing was labored. Anyone else in the bathroom would know she was having a meltdown, but she didn’t care. She wanted to scream. Why did her friends feel like strangers? This wasn’t her normal. She didn’t upset her friends; she was notoriously the peacemaker. What had made her ask a stupid question like that? When did she become such a bad friend?

She couldn’t calm herself down, not even with the breathing exercises her therapist had taught her to do. Her mind raced through everything that had happened and how much everyone must hate her, how much she hated herself. Her fingernails dug into her palm as her knuckles turned white from the pressure, the skin left indented and sore. The tears refused to stop flowing, and her breath heaved in and out unrhythmically.

She wouldn’t make it to class today.

\---

The living room of the farmhouse consisted of two oversized chairs, one for each of Link’s grandparents, facing the direction of the old TV set, and a small couch pressed into the right wall of the room. Link arrived home, kicking his boots off and slouching his backpack near the door. He walked through the archway separating the living room and kitchen to find his grandparents watching the TV silently. He flipped the light switch—off, on, off, on, off, on—to alert them to his presence. Their eyes stayed fixed on the screen.

He entered the room, walking between his grandparents and the TV, and sat down on the couch, his eyes traveling over to the screen as well. The picture was slightly staticky, but he could still tell it was one of those classic daytime talk shows where they pushed pseudoscience and random products with occasional celebrity appearances. The captions on the bottom of the screen suggested that today it was focused on a new fad diet. He relaxed for a moment into the cushions, watching along with them. It was so comfortable; he could physically feel himself starting to doze off. Once the show went to commercial, he glanced back over at his grandparents, his eyes half-asleep.

“Done for today?” His grandfather signed.

“Not yet.” Link signed back, knowing what response was coming. It was a ritual at this point.

“Get to work then.” Link nodded and rose back onto his feet, the comfort of the couch a distance memory. He exited the living room and walked back to the front door. His feet wiggled into his boots, and he went out the back door, heading directly to the stables with Rosa following closely behind.

Epona whinnied excitedly at him as he entered. She was his girl, always had been. He gave her a few of her favorite treats while he brushed her coat. Rosa rubbed herself against his calves as he did so, purring loudly as she moved in circles around him. He positioned the saddle on top of Epona and then the bridle. With a foot in the stirrup, he climbed on top, settling into the mount. Rosa jumped up onto the half wall and then leaped into Link’s lap on the saddle. She had started riding along with Link months ago and had grown fond of this daily task. He scratched her chin gently before giving Epona a soft pat on the neck.

He grabbed the reins between his hands and led her out of the stables and into the fields. A yawn escaped his lips, and he cursed silently to himself. He knew he’d be unable to stop and pay attention to his tasks. It was the worst reminder of how tired he was. He could deal with the heavy eyes and the foggy brain, but yawning was the biggest annoyance by far. As they traveled further from the farmhouse, another came out, and then another.

He lightly slapped himself on his right cheek, urging himself to stay awake long enough to finish for the day. Rosa nuzzled into his other hand, begging for a pet, and he allowed that to occupy his mind. He and Epona worked as a team herding the cattle back together into a unified group to get them back to the barn. They had done this together for years and she knew by now how to almost do it on her own, allowing Link to go into a sort of autopilot.

Saria finally told Link what had happened to Zelda a few days after he had asked. He vaguely remembered some of the details from the news broadcasts, but it wasn’t as in-depth as Saria’s retelling of events. He was right to feel sorry for her, regardless of how he felt about her previously. He decided that he was going to try to act nicer towards her than he would have ever been before. He held the door open for her when they were both headed to their lockers at the same time, which she thanked him for again in that sincere way. It wasn’t a lot, he realized, but it was probably enough to make her feel good for a moment, and that felt good for him.

Rosa looked beneath them, curiously spying a snake slithering through the field a few feet away. Her tail whipped back and forth angrily as her eyes tripled in size. Link didn’t notice, too lost in his thoughts. Rosa darted from the saddle, leaping after her prey as it hurried to escape. He saw a blur of white in front him, shaking him back to reality. Rosa’s front claws dug into Epona as she leapt, causing her to cry out in pain and buck. Link leaned heavily to the right to try and grasp the cat before she hit the ground, but as Epona bucked, it shifted his weight further and knocked him from the saddle. His foot twisted in the stirrup as his face hit the ground first. A spooked Epona hurriedly tried to escape from the scene, dragging Link along the ground with her.

Link was quick to tug on his foot, ignoring the pain searing through his face. The stirrup was caught around his ankle, and he yanked it once again. No release.

He whistled as loudly as he could, something he hoped Epona would respond to. She didn’t, continuing to trot through the field with Link stuck to her. He tried again, and she slowed, calming herself down, enough that the third tug on his leg released him. The rest of his body thudded to the ground. He laid there for a moment, taking in the scent of the grass and feeling his heart pounding in his ears as the adrenaline coursed through him. If he wasn’t awake before, he was now. He rolled over onto his back and sat up, touching his hand to his face. It stung instantly, and he quickly removed it with a hissing breath. He couldn’t imagine how rough it looked.

Epona had stopped a few feet ahead of him finally. In the distance, he spied Rosa happily, skipping back towards them with the snake between her teeth, her prize. _I hope it was worth it,_ Link thought as he lifted himself off the ground, his body already sore. The cattle had dispersed from all the commotion, and they were back at the beginning of the task. He sighed heavily and mounted Epona once more, this time without Rosa in tow.

\---

The sun had set hours ago, and yet Zelda was still awake, sitting at her desk with only the desk lamp and the nightlight by the door illuminating the room. She read from a poetry book, her eyes blurring in and out of focus as the words stopped having meaning. Her hands made gentle circles over her eyes before she dragged them down her cheeks. She was tired, but knew she couldn’t sleep. She could sense the nightmares lurking in the back of her mind, a monster awaiting its prey.

She had tried reading. She had tried doing her homework. She had tried watching stupid videos on the internet. Her eyes continued to drift over to the nightstand where the bottle of sleeping pills waited for her. They would knock her out quickly, but at what cost? She would wake in an hour, screaming and crying, and then she would feel exhausted instead of just sleepy. She looked at her phone. _12:27._

Could she stay awake until tomorrow night? Or would she fall asleep at school, having a nightmare in class? She shuddered, imagining how horrified she'd be if that were to happen, if everyone knew just how crazy she was. She would be incapable of hiding it then— hell, she barely did now. Still, she did not want to go to bed. Either she could brew some coffee or she could take her sleeping pills, and she hated both options. She thought for a moment and then reached into her loose change jar sitting on the corner of her desk, pulling out a penny. She positioned it on her pointer finger and tucked her thumb behind it.

“Let fate decide.”

Heads: sleep. Tails: coffee.

Her thumb flicked, sending the penny into the air. She watched hopefully as it rotated quickly around and round. As it landed back on the desk, she slapped her hand on top of it. She dreaded looking, but after a deep breath, she removed her hand: heads.

“Fuck,” she whispered. A sigh escaped her lips as she stood, making her way over to the nightstand. She begrudgingly grabbed her water bottle and took a sip before rattling the pills around in the bottle, finding the _good_ one that would keep her asleep. The dark blue capsule went down smoothly. She gazed over at the desk lamp and decided to leave it on. It would be easier to calm herself down if the lights were still on.

She slithered underneath the covers, immediately feeling comfortable against the sheets. Her head laid on the pillow, and she was out.

At the other end of Hyrule, Link was preparing for his own nighttime routine. Freshly showered, he dressed into a t-shirt and boxer-briefs. He rustled his wet hair with the towel and let it fall around his shoulders. He tossed the towel aside as he picked a blanket off the ground and stuffed it underneath his bedroom door. He walked the short distance to the other side of the room and opened the window an inch. Cold air instantly surrounded him and sent shivers all over his semi-wet body. He embraced the goosebumps as he wrapped his arms around himself instinctively.

He had discovered years ago that he had to be warm to fall asleep, making cold air the most effective way to keep himself awake. He recognized that it had its drawbacks—constant shivering and an unbelievable amount of pee breaks—but it worked, so he continued leaving the window open during the cold nights, especially winter ones like tonight.

His teeth were already chattering as he positioned himself on his bed. He grabbed a book off his bookshelf, one that he had already read a hundred times or more. It wasn’t about actually digesting the context of the text or enjoying himself, but it was a placeholder to distract his mind. If he could read the words, the same words he had read over and over again, his mind wouldn’t drift off into his thoughts, wouldn't work him up into a panic.

Some nights he would allow himself to sleep—only if he set an alarm—because he knew his limits enough to know when he needed to. Sometimes he’d stay asleep until the alarm went off; most nights he didn’t. After today's rough ride with Epona, he knew his body needed rest, but he would delay it as much as possible. So he skimmed through the text, his mind completely void of thought, for a few hours until his eyes were too heavy to ignore. He set the book back on the bookshelf and took the alarm clock in his hands, setting it for two hours, praying that he could actually stay asleep for that long. He flicked the light switch off. His shivering body relieved as he closed the window and snuggled underneath the blankets on his bed. His eyes focused on the red numbers on the alarm clock, watching as they slowly blurred into complete darkness.

_There was nothing but the strip of light glowing around her bare toes. Her movements stifled; her body tightened around itself. Rigid in this void of nothingness, there was no escape. She attempted to push her arms out in front of her, but they were tangled around her, unmoving._

_She whipped her head to the left and then to the right, slamming hard into both sides of the darkness. The pain radiated from both spots, but there was no sound. She swallowed hard before opening her mouth and releasing her fear through her throat. Silence._

_Again and again, she screamed using all the air from her lungs. Her throat burned as her desperation to be heard bloomed with ferocity. She was trapped. No one would save her if no one could hear her. Her head continued to rock between both sides, attempting to dislodge her from the darkness that held her. It was to no avail. Nothing existed besides the strip of light and her._

_Her throat raw. Her head bloodied. Her body tight. She couldn’t give up. She could feel her voice just underneath the surface ready to breakthrough the silence. One more._

_As she took her last breath in, the darkness shattered with a blinding yellow light. She released all the fear inside her._

“Zelda!” Her father cried, shaking her by the shoulders. Zelda's heavy eyes sprung open. She had finally found her voice, ringing out in the stillness of her own bedroom.

\---

Being back at school was challenging for Zelda in ways that she hadn’t imagined it would be. Her classes were fine; her teachers were extra accommodating— _go figure_. However, she always felt like everyone was staring at her, watching and waiting. Did they expect her to have a major meltdown in front of them constantly? She was sure by now that rumors of her crying in the bathrooms had started making its rounds; she would never give them the satisfaction of knowing if it were true or not. To her, everyone was in on a secret that they couldn’t tell her, and yet that secret was hers.

It had been a week and a half since her return, and there was nothing else happening in the Hyrule rumor mill to keep their attention away from her. She was still trying with her friends, and they were still trying with her, but it was so painful for everyone. Dr. Purah had suggested trying more one-on-one with her friends than in a group constantly, but that ended up being even more awkward when they ran out of things to talk about and no one to fill the gaps. Nothing truly interested her anymore like it used to—not her favorite bands, her favorite clothes, her favorite activities. She hated herself for it.

All the students were milling about before first period began as Zelda walked towards her locker. She could see that Link was already at his, oblivious to the rest of the world around him. How lucky he was to just keep his head down and go unnoticed by everyone. She hadn’t really noticed him in all their years as lockermates, something she now felt guilty about. He was the only person now who didn’t make her feel alienated. Their interactions were limited, but always friendly. He had held the door open for her after he noticed she was walking behind him, and on the day she accidentally dropped her books at her locker, he immediately sprung to pick them up. If she had talked to him before, she knew that he would have done those things for her years ago.

_He was sweet_ , she concluded. _Shy, but sweet._

“Good morning,” she chimed as she approached his right side. She had started saying that to him every morning since she had dropped her books. He never verbalized it back to her, but he always nodded once.

He nodded, his eyes fixed in front of him with his face cloaked beneath the black hood of his hoodie. This grabbed Zelda's attention; it was new, interesting. _What is he hiding?_ she wondered as she decided to get a quick peak by leaning her head slightly closer to him than she ever had before, though still far enough away to avoid invading his personal space. She gasped softly, and he looked down, burying his face into his locker.

“What happened to you?” her voice genuinely worried. He had thick scratches down the right side of his face extending from his hairline to his chin, covering his cheek. A deep bruise colored his forehead underneath the scratches. His eyes remained in front of him, but the light pinkish hue to his cheek gave him away; he was embarrassed.

He shrugged gently, slightly turning away. Zelda only bridged the gap and moved closer, slightly closer than she should have, but not enough that Link was uncomfortable.

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly. His cheeks growing ever pinker as his eyes finally met hers. His exhaustion and embarrassment melting with her concern and pain, that tinge of familiarity hitting them both again. He hesitated for a second and then nodded. She could see the scratches better now, all mostly on the top portion of his head. His forehead was still slightly swollen. “Hold on,” she said, stepping back slightly and digging into her backpack. She pulled the icepack from her lunchbox and extended it out towards him. “Here.”

His eyes widened, immediately regretting allowing her to see his injuries. He shook his head and waved his hands back and forth. _No, no, no, no._ Zelda stuck it out further.

“I don’t need it.” He hesitated again, staring at it. She waited another moment, watching him watching her hand. The pink hue had dissipated. “Please.”

His fingers stretched out and gently grabbed it from her palm. She released it and watched as his hand trekked to his forehead. He winced slightly, closing his eyes briefly to take in the coolness he desperately needed. Zelda smiled at him until his eyes reopened to meet hers. His eyes were wide as he slowly nodded at her twice, really showing his appreciation.

“You’re welcome,” she said, turning to open her locker. Link closed his. As he turned to step, she teased, “You know, you’re going to have to tell me what happened eventually, right? You can’t just leave a girl hanging in suspense like this.”

She looked back over at him, a small smile on her face, and for the tiniest second, she saw a hint of a smile cross his lips, his eyes lit up in a flash. It immediately disappeared before he nodded once and walked away.

She didn’t understand that boy one bit, but god, did she want to.

It was odd; she saw herself reflected in those blue-eyes in a way she couldn’t describe. Everyone else looked at her like a fragile porcelain doll teetering on the edge, a second away from shattering, but not Link. His eyes, when he allowed her to look into them, swirled with gusts of anger and exhaustion. No one else understood how refreshing it was to not see worry or pity in his eyes,to just see his own storm of problems brewing beneath the surface. He was the only one who looked at her like she was still a real person.

She shook her head, hating where her mind was going, and closed her locker as the bell rang. She was late again, but it was becoming a habit at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the awesome response to the first chapter! I promise this is the last chapter of introducing the characters and their relationships to other people before we get into the more exciting parts of the story.


	3. Well-thought-out Plans

_She cared about me._

Hidden behind the dumpsters, Link held the melted icepack in his hands, squeezing it gently to feel the jelly inside squish around. A stupid smile decorated his face as he thought about his interaction with _the princess_. He had never felt like this before. He had shown her vulnerability, and she had shown him kindness in return. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

All he knew was to put up barriers, to suffer silently; those behaviors ingrained in him since he was very young. He kept his emotions to himself, and he was good at it. His mind kept picturing that look in her eyes, that pleading look that begged him to take care of himself. He never imagined that to have such an effect on him. Sure, he had seen that look from Saria from time to time, but for some reason, it was different when Zelda looked at him that way.

It had taken months for Link to get comfortable enough with Saria to even write a few sentences on a page, to even let her see him smile. Yet barely a week and half of interacting with Zelda every day, his walls were slowly vanishing. What made her so special?

“Did you steal that?”

Link’s eyes shot up, his expression back to blank.

Saria stood in front of him, laughing to herself as she looked into his hands. He glanced down at the icepack and finally saw that it had “ _Zelda_ ” written in a child’s handwriting across it in sharpie. _How long has that been there?_ He looked back up at her and shook his head.

“I’ve been standing here for a minute and you didn’t even notice. What’s up?” she asked as she sat down next to him. He could tell her the truth, that he was somehow becoming friends with Zelda despite having nothing in common with her. He could say that something was changing within him, that he felt weird about it.

He just shrugged.

“Nuh-uh. We’re not playing the quiet game today. You actually have something interesting to talk about and you don’t want to tell me? Are you kidding?” she teased, though she was fully interested. It was rare that anything exciting happened to Link. He grinned gently as he shrugged again, not knowing what words to write even if he wanted to.

“Can I make a guess?” she asked; he nodded. “She beat you up and then felt bad about it.”

He laughed, most of the air coming through his nose instead of his lips. She hadn’t heard him laugh since that week they had listened to comedians instead of music months ago, and her face lit up. She had never seen Link like this. It felt good to see him happy, but she couldn't begin to imagine what had happened to him to make him act like this.

“Come on,” she said softly. He nodded and pulled out his notebook.

“ _Zelda gave it to me._ "

“Yeah, I sure hope she did,” she sarcastically returned, rolling her eyes and laughing slightly. “But why?”

Link gestured to his face like he was putting it on display. Saria had seen the scratches down his face when she approached, but had decided that something else was wrong with him, more than just his face.

“ _She wanted to help,”_ he wrote, the words feeling odd to scribble down. This was the most candid he had ever been with her. It felt weird, but in a good way.

“That’s it?”

He nodded, and she scoffed.

“You’re an idiot,” Saria joked, lighting a cigarette. He shrugged, still grinning gently. “An absolute moron.”

She blew smoke from her lips, her expression growing more serious as she concentrated on his forehead.

“Everything else okay—” she paused, almost unsure if she should ask and ruin his rare good mood, “—at home?” Link nodded, remembering the injuries on his face. Her eyes held his for a second longer than usual, looking for deception, but knowing that they wouldn’t give him away, even now.

“ _Just a spooked horse.”_

“Honestly?” Her voice just above a whisper.

“ _I promise_ ,” he wrote. “ _Thank you.”_

Saria nodded, her focus turning back to her cigarette, and like that, they were back to their normal silence.

He knew that she had noticed the scars covering his body years ago, but they never talked about it. She had assumed that his grandparents had been abusive towards him growing up and didn’t push it unless he brought it up, which he never did. He didn’t correct her, because she wasn’t entirely wrong, but the scars on his body were not from them. They were saviors compared to—

She held out an earbud for him to take. He scooted closer to her and placed it in his ear, listening to a new song. He liked Saria’s taste in music mostly, and today was a good playlist. She agreed, bopping her head gently to the beat as she smoked. After a moment, Link leaned his head back against the stone building and closed his eyes, not feeling tired enough to fall asleep, but enough to relax for a moment. She did the same.

His mind swirled with thoughts of Zelda. Were they friends now? _Probably not_. They had only interacted at their lockers and that couldn’t have been more than ten minutes in total. Would she even want to spend more time with him? She didn’t know about the smoking spot, but maybe she would want to come hang out with him and Saria sometime. He felt stupid thinking that.

She was looking for kindness in a cruel world and had found that in Link. He had been kind to her and she returned that to him today in the form of an icepack. He was thinking too deeply into their interactions. If she needed someone to occasionally lend a helping hand, he would always be willing to extend that hand out for her, but she didn’t need anything else from him. His good mood vanished.

Link and Saria didn’t know how much time had passed, the music playing softly in their ears as the only reminder, but they stayed there, relaxing against the building for longer than they were supposed to. Not sleeping, but definitely not entirely awake either. Saria’s cigarette was long gone as the battery on her phone dwindled lower and lower.

“Hey!” The rough voice of a middle-aged man rang through the air, snapping both of their eyes open.

“Shit!” Saria whispered, yanking the earbuds out of both their ears. The gym teacher, Mr. Talon, stood in front of them, giving them no room to escape. Disappointment painted his face.

“Skipping class again?” He asked, though both remained motionless. “Come on, let’s get inside.” They both lifted themselves off the ground and followed him back inside the gymnasium.

“You guys know I don’t enjoy punishing you, right?” Saria flashed at smile at him.

“Then don’t.” He did not find her as amusing as Link did. Talon led them from the gymnasium to the office.

“Caught two stragglers,” he announced to the secretary, as she pulled out a clipboard with a sign in sheet for detention. As habitual detention detainees, they knew this song and dance by now, no longer did they need the pomp and circumstance of what was expected of them. They both signed and dated the page.

“I know better by now than to give you a speech about applying yourselves. Just go to class, guys. I don’t want to find you back there again, okay?” They nodded, both knowing that in a few weeks he’d find them back there again. Talon knew it too. They were a lost cause at this point.

“See you in detention!” Saria said in a sing-song voice as they stepped out of the office. Link nodded and waved as they set off in different directions. He walked down the hallway towards his locker, having no intentions of going back to class.

\---

Zelda leaned over the bathroom sinks, fixing her makeup in the mirror. She wiped the smudged eyeliner from underneath her eyes, deciding that the top wasn’t too bad. She grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and blew her nose of the remaining snot. It was the second time today she had snuck into the bathroom to have a break down, but this one was shorter, enough that the teacher probably wouldn’t think she had done anything but actually gone to the bathroom. She ruffled her blonde hair and smiled at herself.

Still empty.

"Baby steps."

She shook her hands out to her sides for a moment before taking a breath and grounding herself. She exited. It was the last period of the day before she could go home. She could do this. She was in control.

“So it is true.”

She stopped in her tracks, back on alert. Groose with his red pompadour towered over her at 6’4” as he casually stood beside the water fountains. He wiped his lower lip from drinking as his eyes looked her up and down. She and Groose had dated briefly in their first year of high school where she had broken up with him. In the last three years, he had made it clear that he still hadn't gone over it. She paused, taking him in. _What was his angle?_

“What?” she asked with a false confidence. He smiled widely, seeing right through her.

As anxiety rose in her chest, her mind planned an escape route, but with little luck. The girls bathroom nestled in the corner left her only way out in front of her where Groose stood. 

“You’re the one terrorizing all the girls in the bathroom.” He shifted his weight, taking a step closer. She took a step back in response. “I heard you in there.”

“I don’t care,” she said, taking a few steps to pass him. He stepped in front of her, placing his hand against the wall so his arm was straight across her chest. Her path blocked, no escape.

“It bothers you. I know you too well to know that it does.” His voice was softer now, a sinister whisper.

“Let me through,” hers fluttered. She couldn’t mask how terrified she was. Her mind desperately thought of all the ways she could get out of this situation.

“What was it like, huh? Feed my fantasies," his voice low and husky. She could slip beneath his arm, but he’d likely pull her into himself. “Is it all true? Everything he did to you?” Her body stiffened completely. She could scream as loudly as she could, but then everyone would find out how crazy she was.

He leaned down closer to her, his mouth tickling her ear as he spoke, “I think about it constantly, tying you up and keeping you hidden from the world.”

She could run back into the bathroom, but he didn’t have enough shame to not follow her back in. She’d be even further trapped. “Does it scare you that he might not go to prison?”

Two hands wrapped around Groose’s arm against the wall and yanked him backwards. He was caught off-guard, his body unable to regain balance as he crashed hard into the linoleum floor. Zelda’s eyes flashed to the stranger’s in front of her. Only a moment passed before she recognized that familiar pair of exhausted blue eyes. Link snuck in between Zelda and Groose with his back towards her as he slightly bent his knees and stuck his arms behind him, his arms very loosely encompassing her, protecting her.

Zelda hadn’t realized that she was crying or that her breathing was a heaving pant. Her hands flew to her face to cover her mouth. Link looked over his shoulder at her, making sure she was okay. Groose finally found his bearings, looking back up at the pair of them. He laughed humorlessly.

“Oh, and now you’re hanging out with this weirdo?” he asked. Link turned back around.

His face was terrifying, Zelda noticed, as he stared down at Groose. She had never seen so much hatred in a single person’s expression before. The anger that usually resided in his eyes could not compare to the anger in them now. His breathing was quick and agitated. His hands trembled. Groose lifted himself off the ground, and Link took a protective step back, closer to Zelda.

“So you think you have a chance with the mayor’s daughter, huh?” he asked, dusting off his backside. “Now that she’s as fucked up as you.”

Link’s eyes focused on Groose’s every movement, any sudden ones and he would pounce. He shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, knowing that would give him an advantage. Years of pent-up emotions bubbled beneath his surface, just waiting for the right moment to unleash.

Zelda's entire body vibrated as her heart thumped in her ears. Her arms and legs went numb as she hyperventilated. Her mind raced, every thought telling her to run, to escape.

“You really do,” he said, actually laughing this time as he shook his head. “Well, she didn’t put out before, I doubt she’s going to now.”

Link’s body leapt forward, crashing into Groose and throwing them both back onto the floor. His fists quickly met Groose’s face, all those years of unexpressed emotions finally coming out with every blow.

Groose fought back, using his own body weight to buck Link from on top of him. Link rolled onto his back, unable to avoid Groose’s first punch, and biting into his cheek at the contact. The acidic taste of blood followed.

He rolled once more and got back up onto his feet.

Zelda crumpled to the floor as she continued shaking, no longer physically trapped, but mentally. Link’s eyes traveled over to her, unsure if he should go to her or continue fighting. In that moment of hesitation, Groose wrapped his arms around Link’s body and slammed him into the wall.

The bell signalling the end of the day rang as students flooded the hallway, instantly getting a front row seat to the action. At the commotion from all the students yelling, a few teachers emerged and rushed to stop the fight.

“Enough, boys!” One yelled, grabbing Link by his hood and yanking him away from Groose. Another teacher stepped in front of Groose, putting himself between the boys.

Link panted as he stared at Groose, the fury never leaving his eyes. Groose smiled at him, almost laughing, like this was some kind of game and he had won. Link gathered the saliva and blood in his mouth and spat it at him. The teacher holding his hood pulled backwards on it roughly, mildly choking him. “Enough.”

As the halls quieted to hushed whispered, the softest noise of sadness echoed through the stillness. All eyes turned to Zelda.

She had crawled to the wall during the fight, placing her back against it and resting her head on the knees pressed into her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes catatonic; her body sat there, but her mind was elsewhere. Her expression almost blank as she whimpered, still trembling.

“Come on, everyone, get to your buses!” A teacher yelled, waving her arms at the hoards of students. “There’s nothing to see!”

Yet everyone stared, completely mesmerized by the scene unfolding in front of them. Other teachers arrived to form a barrier, separating the three from everyone else. Students slowly started moving away as the show had ended.

The teacher holding onto Link released him, his emotions finally back to normal as he stared at Zelda. The expression in her eyes pained him, but he could do nothing.

“Grab the nurse,” the teacher in front of Groose said to another. “Let’s go to the office, boys.”

Zelda couldn’t hide it anymore; her facade of normalcy shattered in minutes. Everyone knew she was crazy now.

\---

Her car idled near the front entrance of Hyrule High as she sat in the driver’s seat, her eyes scanning the doors for any signs of the farm boy. She felt like an old-school detective on a stakeout for a dangerous criminal—she was only missing the binoculars. Zelda wanted to offer Link a ride home, feeling like it was her fault he had to stay behind for detention today.

She stayed home from school, just a day after the incident with Groose, but had decided that she needed to see Link again, that she needed to thank him. Her fingers nervously picked the dry skin around her nails.

She hadn’t imagined that her sweet lockermate could be so dangerous. She had always seen the anger in his eyes, but never thought that that anger would manifest itself. Yet she was unsure if she was afraid of him or not. On one hand, he had only been nice towards her. His short and slender body didn’t intimidate her. On the other, she barely knew him. He could be putting on this act of innocence to get close to her.

Groose’s words about Link had lodged deep into her mind, making her doubt their semi-friendship. Was she just projecting this sweetness onto him because she wanted someone to be kind to her? Did he have ulterior motives for their interactions? Or was he just a nice guy, like she thought? She couldn’t make up her mind, and maybe that’s why she needed to see him, to get him alone with her for at least twenty minutes.

She was taking a chance with offering him a ride home, unsure of how her body and mind would react to being in a confined space with a man. Her anxiety was already mild because of her new thoughts about Link, but she still felt like she needed to, both as a way to figure out those thoughts and to thank him regardless of his intentions.

Zelda perked up as she watched the front doors open and a small amount of students flood out, none of them her lockermate. She leaned back into her seat. They all gave off that rebellious vibe, definitely coming from detention. _Where’s Link?_

She had a hunch, putting the car into drive and steering it to the back of the building. Walking from the back doors, she spied him, hood up and cigarette in hand. A grin spread on her face. She quickly circled the parking lot so the passenger side door would be on his side, making it easier for her to follow him. She wasn’t going to necessarily _force_ him to get in, but she was willing to follow him in her car until he did.

She rolled down the passenger side window as her car approached Link from behind. “Hey, stranger.”

He immediately stopped walking, his eyes remained fixed to the pavement in front of him. The cigarette hung at his side. Zelda took a deep breath, her anxiety lumped in her throat.

“Do you want a ride home?”

Motionless.

“Link?”

He placed the cigarette in his mouth as he dug around in his pockets. She watched him pull out the tiny notebook and pencil. Quickly he scribbled something, and without facing her, held out the notebook for her. She parked the car and leaned over the passenger’s seat to read it.

“ _I’m sorry.”_

Her mind flooded with a million thoughts.

“What?”

He pushed the notebook closer to her, having nothing else to add. She pushed back.

“You’re sorry? For what?”

_For deceiving me to get close to me? For putting on this act and getting exposed by Groose? For...saving me?_ He pulled the notebook back and wrote again.

“ _Groose.”_

“We can talk about it,” she said, urging him to get in. He shook his head, taking another puff from his cigarette. This wasn’t the reaction she had expected. She figured he would hesitate, but not completely avoid her. Was he angry at her? Or at himself?

“Do you really want to walk home?” She desperately wanted to look into his eyes, needing to know if they were still the mirror image of her own. His gaze never lifted from the ground, his hands trembling. She knew this wasn’t working.

“I’m—” She stopped herself, not knowing where she was going. _What would make him look at me?_ “I just want to take you home as a thank you, okay? Nothing else.” He put the notebook back in his pocket, cigarette back in his mouth.

He started walking away.

She put the car in drive.

“Come on, get in. I _need_ to thank you.” Her eyes jumped back and forth between the road and Link. Luckily they were still on the school grounds and no other cars were around. She didn’t care how ridiculous she looked, she needed to talk to him.

His head shook as he took in another lungful of smoke.

“Yes, I do.”

The front tire gently bumped the curb, and she repositioned the wheel. He did not look up.

“We don’t have to talk about it, okay? Just a ' _thank you_.'” As they reached a stop sign, real roads approached, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep following him like this once they left the safety of the school grounds. If he truly didn’t want to get in, she couldn’t make him. With her determination fading, she tried one last time.

“Link… please?”

He stopped walking, and she stepped on the brakes. He sighed, releasing all the smoke from his lungs and taking a moment to compose himself. His eyes glanced up from the pavement to finally meet hers, just barely peeking from underneath his eyelashes. She saw nothing but sadness.

His face looked like hell. The injuries from Epona still marred the right side of his face, but they were now accompanied by a few fading bruises and a slightly swollen cheek. She felt horrible as she gazed at him. It was her fault he felt like this.

Her eyes stared at him with that sad, pleading look that hit him hard in the stomach. He could do nothing, but say ' _yes'_ when she looked at him like that.

He dropped the cigarette and squashed it beneath his toes. Zelda smiled softly, almost to herself, feeling thankful that he still wanted to interact with her despite everything she had put him through. He pulled the hood off his head as he opened the passenger door and climbed inside. She had accomplished her mission.

“Thank you,” she said as he closed the door. He nodded solemnly, no longer looking at her.

Now it was awkward. The car’s heater was the only sound heard for what felt like years. Zelda cleared her throat.

“So, umm...where do you live?” she asked. What a well-thought-out plan she had. Link’s brow furrowed as he hesitated. He pointed forward and then left with his palms upright as he shrugged, unsure how else to explain.

“Oh, that’s not going to work. Here.” She pulled up a navigation app on her phone and handed it to him. He did as instructed and handed it back to her. She paused before following the GPS directions. “Can I ask you something before we go?”

He hesitated, but nodded slowly.

“Can you talk?”

He shrugged while shaking his head. A maybe. “You can’t? Or you won’t?”

He pulled the notebook from his pocket. Zelda watched as he wrote. He was a lefty, she noted. “ _Both.”_

“Both?” He nodded. She could accept that for now.

Zelda shifted the car into drive and followed the directions from her phone. It was silent again. She couldn’t even hear him breathing. He remained completely motionless beside her. She really hadn’t thought this through. How was she supposed to talk to Link when he couldn’t speak except through his notebook and she was driving? _An absolute genius._

“I like that you carry a notebook around to talk. That's really smart.” He shrugged.

The car went through two stop signs. She cleared her throat and felt Link’s eyes on her. She figured she could talk to him, even if he wouldn’t respond.

“I started reading a new poetry book this week. Do you like poetry?”

Her eyes flashed quickly to see him nod.

“You could borrow it sometime, if you wanted.”

He shrugged.

“It’s just nice to read, you know? It’s so relaxing to lose yourself for awhile.” They stopped at a red light. Zelda looked over at him. His eyes still held that painful expression. She wouldn’t question it, not yet.

Link noticed how she was forcing the conversation, trying to find a way to talk about yesterday without talking about yesterday. He didn’t want to talk about it either. They could forget about it and move on, but he knew that she wasn't one to let things like this go and that it was on the tip of her tongue.

The car rolled into motion again. She pointed to a storefront as they passed it.

“My friends haven’t stopped talking about prom, and so every time I drive pass this store, I think of all the ugly dresses inside that are going to be on display soon. Do you think you're going to prom?”

Link chuckled, all the air going through his nose. Zelda gently smiled at the noise.

“No? Not your thing?”

His head shook vehemently.

“Yeah, I didn't think so,” she said, almost laughing herself.

She looked over at the GPS. She had only fifteen minutes left to talk to him about all the thoughts she was having. She hadn't had an opportunity to talk to Link at length, but she was weirdly enjoying the awkwardness of small talk and head nods. It was nice, somehow. Any anxiety she had about this conversation had faded, but did she want to actually do this now? She took a deep breath.

“Thank you for yesterday, Link. I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t there,” her voice was soft and calm. He didn't respond. For a few minutes, Zelda didn't know what else to say.

“It's my fault it happened. I wasn’t being careful. Thank you for being there for me.” He shook his head. _He thinks I’m ungrateful?_

“What do you mean? I am thankful.”

She noticed from the corner of her eye that Link was writing something down. Her eyes remained on the road until they reached a red light.

“ _It wasn't your fault.”_

“Yes, it was.” He disagreed. She ignored him. “I promise you won't have to save me again. And I'm sorry that you had detention today, that wouldn't have happened without me.” His head shook as his brow furrowed. Why wasn’t he agreeing with her? She felt her emotions getting the better of her.

“What?” Her voice slightly harsher than previously. His hand was fast on the page.

“ _I made the decision to fight.”_

“You wouldn’t have if I was more careful.” He disagreed again. An anger erupted within her. “Can’t you just accept my damn ‘ _thank you_ ’?”

The car behind them beeped once and she looked back to the road, going through the now green light. It was quiet again as he didn’t respond. Minutes passed in this silence as the car left the suburban area, now traveling on the country roads, and Zelda’s mind raced.

Maybe Groose was right about Link. He hadn’t meant to protect her. He just needed a reason to beat somebody up, and Groose had given him the opportunity. Hell, maybe they even coordinated the attack so Link could get closer to her. And here he was, a stranger sitting next to her in her car. She had been played. Why was she so naive?

“He was right, wasn’t he?” Her voice breaking through the silence. “You think I’m fucked up?”

Link didn’t look at her, eyes staring into his lap.

“Don’t you? You see me as an easy target.” Nothing. Her eyes strayed from the road, quickly glancing at his reaction and not seeing one. How could he get under her skin without saying anything?

“You didn’t have any reason to help me! You just wanted me to see you as my savior!” her voice sharply yelled. He finally shook his head, disagreeing with her. She fumed, “No? Why else would you help me, _Mr. Hero_? Huh?”

He wrote his response fast, but then hesitated, looking down at the words, unsure if he actually wanted to show her or not. Maybe he was better off if she thought these things about him, if she never wanted to talk to him again. The car approached a stop sign. He took a deep breath and showed her the notebook.

“ _We’re friends?”_

Silence.

The car continued through the stop sign. Link pulled the notebook back into his lap as his thoughts overwhelmed him.

He had overstepped a boundary. They weren’t friends; they never were friends. He had just wished it. He shouldn’t have said anything. She hated him, she had to. He should have just helped her with her locker and then left her alone. He would have been better off never forming this strange attachment to her. He wouldn’t feel as betrayed as he did now that she didn’t feel the same. He never should have lowered his walls, even the tiniest amount that he did. Any vulnerability always hurt him. Always.

His eyes traveled to the door handle. It tempted him. He could jump out now and never know if she had responded positively or negatively. He would do what he did best and disappear; she would never see him again, he’d make sure of it. His hand grabbed the handle.

“Yeah, we are,” Zelda said finally, her voice calm again. The car rolled to a stop at a four-way intersection of dirt roads. She hadn’t noticed his hand, seconds from releasing the latch. His fingers lingered for a moment and then let go.

The GPS had determined this was the end of the drive, but their conversation had not.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you, Link.” She meant it; he had never heard her voice like this. He nodded slowly. They both weren’t looking at each other. “You don’t deserve that, okay? Not from anyone, but especially not from me.” She took a deep breath.

“I just really like being around you,” her thoughts tumbled out without a filter. He looked over at her, watching as she stared forward into the open country fields. The setting sun illuminated her face, the orange glow making her appearance slightly angelic, a mix of beauty and sadness. All of his previous thoughts had faded. She didn’t hate him, and it felt good to hear her say it aloud. He focused on her words, taking them all to heart.

“My thoughts aren’t always coherent, and I rarely know how I truly feel. I’m scared all of the time.” She finally looked over at him, that sweet familiarity hitting them both painfully. “And you feel that way too. I see it, every time I look at you. You know what I’m going through.”

Their eyes remained connected, the pain in both of them openly displayed. Link nodded gently, a small hole crumbling in his wall.

“But it doesn’t excuse my behavior today. I am really sorry for what I said. I guess I’m trying to cope with what happened yesterday, and I didn’t know what this—” she gestured to the both of them, “—was between us. He got into my head, and I’m sorry.” He grabbed the notebook from his lap.

“ _It’s okay._ ”

She looked away, feeling ashamed for her thoughts about him. “You’re very kind to me.”

He reflected on her words, thinking of the icepack in his pocket. Had it really only been a day since she had given it to him? Her mind maybe wasn’t always in the best place, but her heart flowed with kindness. It’s why she had given him the icepack, why she wanted to drive him home. She was still sweet despite everything that had happened to her. His fingers reached for the soft pack and squeezed it gently. He pulled it from his pocket, setting it onto her lap. Her gaze traveled down and smiled gently, remembering that moment between them.

Her eyes gazed back up to his. They both nodded together, understanding that no more apologies were needed. Finally, Zelda looked around at the empty intersection. “So where is your house?”

He pointed down the road in front of them. Her hand went for the gear shift, but Link’s landed on it first. Her fingers almost brushed the back of his hand, but she pulled it back to herself quickly. He shook his head.

“You want to walk from here?” He nodded, tucking his notebook back into his coat pocket. “Okay. I’ll see you on Monday?”

Link’s hand slithered from the gear shift and to the door latch. He nodded at her as he opened it, climbing out in an instant. As he closed the door, Zelda rolled down the window. “Have a good night, Link.” The words stung, but she couldn’t have known. He pointed at her. _You too._

He gave a small wave and then continued walking down the dirt road. Zelda watched him until he faded into the distance. She squeezed the icepack gently as she looked at it in her hands, sighing deeply. It hadn’t gone as planned, but it happened and she was grateful. She finally knew where she stood with Link, a friendship that she didn’t know she wanted. She couldn’t wait until Monday morning to see him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't sure if I wanted to post this as one chapter or two but decided to make it an extra long one. Hope you guys enjoyed it and thanks for the feedback!


	4. Stop Sign Small Talk

Link’s footsteps were heavy against the road as he faintly heard the humming of Zelda’s car fading behind him. He knew his grandparents would be displeased with him if they knew he was neglecting his chores in favor of hanging out with some girl. He figured they wouldn’t be suspicious of his activities this afternoon if he approached the house on foot. Once he felt like he was out of her view, he put his hood back up.

As he reached the farm, he noticed his grandfather seated in a rocking chair on the front porch, unusual for a Friday. His grandfather’s eyes focused on him as he walked, but he kept his head down. He took a deep breath as he passed the mailbox and approached the stairs. His foot touched the first one as he finally glanced up at his grandfather.

“You’re late,” he signed immediately. Link nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“Two days in a row?” His grandfather’s furious expression loomed over him. Link remained stoic.

“I’m sorry,” he signed again. His grandfather rose from the chair, his body hunched over as he leaned down on his cane, making his way to the stairs. He held out his hand.

Link reached into his pocket and pulled out his house key, dropping it into his grandfather’s waiting hand. He expected as much. His grandfather turned around and entered the house, locking the door behind him. Link put his hands into his pockets and walked towards the barn.

It had been awhile since he had been locked out for misbehaving, but he should have known it was coming. He had never made the mistake of getting detention two days in a row before. Yet he didn’t regret it, not even for a second. Protecting Zelda from Groose was worth any punishment he could receive.

He entered the barn to the sound of a loud, friendly meow. Rosa immediately rushed to him, circling his calves and begging for attention. He lifted her into his chest, rubbing her head softly as she purred. She snuggled deeper into him causing a smile on his lips. He repositioned her so her front paws hung over his shoulder and his left hand supported her back. Quickly, he climbed the ladder up to the hayloft. It was the closest thing he had to a bedroom when he was locked out, and more accidental naps happened up here than he would admit.

Link dropped Rosa onto the wooden slats, but she remained close by, entangling herself between his feet. He sat down on the square bales of hay and felt them cushion his weight. It wasn’t as comfortable as his bed, but it would do. Rosa hopped up beside him and rubbed her face against his knee. He removed his backpack, setting it between his feet as he undid the zippers. From the smallest compartment of the backpack, he pulled out an old journal and a pen.

The journal was worn, and the spine was soft, showing its heavy use. He thumbed the pages gently, thinking of all the things he had written or drawn on them. He flipped to the first empty one and began writing. In his mind, he replayed the conversation with Zelda in the car, writing down everything she had said to him and every response he should have said back. It still felt silly after all these years to respond to conversations that had already happened, but it was better than feeling like he had no voice at all. Every word he never said aloud decorated these pages.

As always, the space left at the bottom of the page begged for a piece of artwork. Nothing described the day better than the way she looked in the orange glow of the sunset. His hands sketched the scene from his memory quickly. He hated that he couldn’t add color to accurately capture how she looked, but as he looked down at the drawing, he grinned. She was still just as beautiful and sad as she was today. Not bad for a first attempt at drawing her.

His fingers turned to the previous pages, all from the past two weeks having a mention of Zelda somewhere on them. Some of it was simple: “ _Zelda said good morning to me. I should have said it back.”_ Others were more in-depth, like his fight with Groose. He had written down every thought that went through his mind as he protected her from his advancements—how much he hated the way Groose talked about her, how good it felt to spit on him. Link’s journal was a window into his mind, behind all of his barriers, and god help anyone who looked inside.

He closed it, placing it back into its own compartment in the backpack. Rosa had fallen asleep beside his thigh. His fingers ran down her back, and she perked up, stretching out her tiny paws into his pants. He felt content again looking down at her. The farm work he hadn’t completed in the past two days could wait until tomorrow. As he laid down on the hay bales, she climbed on top of his torso and nuzzled into his neck. He wrapped his hands around her, holding her close and kissing the top of her head.

His heavy eyes drooped as Rosa’s rhymatic purr lulled him to sleep. It was far too early for him to fall asleep, but the past few days had been exhausting on his body. He knew what was waiting for him on the other side, but he drifted off anyway.

_He felt secure, the weight of arms wrapped around him as his face buried deeper into the softness of a sweater. He was smaller, younger, and more fragile. He needed to be held, to be protected. The woman carrying him thought so too._

_A scarf wrapped around the bottom of her face, hiding it from his view. She rocked their bodies slowly back and forth as a gentle hum vibrated through her throat. Link listened to the gentleness in her tone, contrasting it to the rapid heartbeat beneath her sweater. Calm on the outside, terrified on the inside._

_He hadn’t realized that he was crying until her hand caressed his cheek and her velvety smooth voice whispered, “There, there.” Unrecognizable, but familiar somehow._

“ _Don’t go. Don’t go. Don’t go,” his tiny voice like a record skipping._

_His own heart raced alongside hers, unable to calm himself down. Her humming intensified in his ears, a desperation growing in her tone. “We have to be quiet,” she whispered, again and again, between her sweet lullaby. Link stifled his cries into the woman’s shoulder, begging himself to stop crying. Her hand traced his face once more, leaving a slick trail in its wake._

_Link’s hand immediately reached for his cheek, wiping the moisture away. As he pulled back to look at the woman, he noticed the cherry color dripping from his own palm. He felt it now, the blood pooling around their connected midsections, staining their clothes and soaking through the fabrics to the skin. His heart pounded in his ears as he buried his face back into her shoulder, the tears never stopping. Her humming faintly waning as her heartbeat slowed. He clung to her tightly, feeling the moisture between them consuming their bodies. “Please, don’t go. Mama, please,” his sobs like the cries of a wounded animal._

_Her grip on him went slack, but he only wrapped his arms around her tighter. He rocked her body gently back and forth, humming between his cries, pleading for her to hold him. She wouldn’t respond; her essence vanished. He couldn’t pull himself away from her shoulder, couldn’t look at what had become of her. He stayed there—buried in her shoulder, rocking her lifeless form, humming her calming tune, crying his helpless tears—until her figure decayed beneath him, disintegrating into the wind like pieces of sand._

_There was nothing to hold onto; she was gone and he was alone. His arms wrapped around himself, rocking his own body to his pleas, “Don’t go. Don’t go. Don’t—”_

Link’s eyes shot open.

\---

Zelda parked her car in the driveway, turning off the engine and removing the keys from the ignition. She sighed as she looked at the house in front of her. Her father was home, probably worrying more about her whereabouts than he should have. She had told him she was leaving for a bit, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. Yesterday’s events had made him overprotective again—which granted he should be—but it hurt her to be babied like that.

On cue, her father peeled back the curtains from the living room windows, looking for her. His face lit up as he saw her car, and he waved gently. Her heart ached. She waved back and exited the car.

He opened the front door for her as she approached. “Hey, sweetie. How was your day?” He wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. She softened in his embrace, squeezing him back.

“Good. How ‘bout you?” He released her. She slipped out of her shoes and dropped her bag by the front door.

“Good. Same old, same old at the office. Are you hungry?” He practically led her to the kitchen. She didn’t have a huge appetite, but as she saw that he had made his homemade spaghetti and meatballs just for her, she couldn’t refuse.

“Yeah, I’m starving,” she said untruthfully.

He made them plates as Zelda grabbed glasses of water. They sat down across from each other in the dining room and dug in. It was quiet for a moment, the only sound between them being the occasional fork scratching against the plate. Her father cleared his throat. Dinner together never used to be this uncomfortable.

“You have any plans for this weekend?”

“No, not really. Probably just catching up on some homework.” She pushed the food around as she talked. He wanted to talk about yesterday; she could sense it. She understood now how Link must have felt earlier.

The principal had informed her father of the situation yesterday, calling him to come pick her up from the nurse’s office. She knew, however, that he wanted her explanation of why some strange boy had protected her. If she wasn’t hungry before, she definitely wasn’t now.

“So…” he trailed off.

“Yeah?”

“If you’re ready.” She took a deep breath.

“Yeah.” Her eyes focused on her plate, watching the way her fork pulled through the noodles, keeping herself distracted as she recounted the events. “I don’t know. I was walking out of the bathroom when he cornered me.” Groose’s name wouldn’t slip through her lips. It hurt too much.

“He started saying some—” she paused, looking for her words,“—upsetting things, and I froze up.”

She debated with herself how much she wanted to tell her father about Link. Should she name him or let him be a random stranger? How much of their previous interactions, if any, should she profess? Would her dad be okay with some boy hanging around with her? She knew the answer. Her father watched as she toyed with her food. She couldn’t bare to meet his gaze.

“Then Link showed up—”

“The short kid with the scratched-up face?” She nodded. He fell silent again.

“I think Link would have only protected me until _he_ ,” her intonation meaning Groose, “left, but he didn’t want to leave. He just kept pushing and pushing until Link stood up for me.” She shrugged, not knowing what else to add. It was quiet for a moment before her father found his voice.

“Do you know this kid?” His tone sounded different than Zelda expected. He seemed irritated, slightly uncomfortable.

“A little bit.”

“How so?”

“Our lockers have always been next to each other. We’ve talked before,” she lied slightly. Her father took a bite from his plate. Her fork twirled around the spaghetti nervously.

“He seems like trouble,” her father stated. She shook her head, still not meeting his gaze.

“He's a nice guy, Dad.”

“Nice guys don't have bruised faces before a fight.” She rolled her eyes, her own irritation growing. “Does he fight with other kids a lot?” His fork rested beside his plate as his eyes watched her.

“No, I don't think he's ever been in a fight before.” He half-scoffed, half-laughed.

“He seems skilled enough to be able to take down a guy like Groo—” Zelda’s eyes snapped up to her father’s as the name caught in his lips. He stopped speaking, lowering his gaze back down to his plate.

“Don’t,” her tone no longer one daughters should use with their fathers. “Link protected me. He’s a good guy because of that. End of discussion.” She lifted the napkin from her lap and set it atop the table as she stood.

“Zelda…” her father sighed, placing his own napkin on the table.

“What?” she snapped. Their eyes locked together. Hers were a fiery blaze as his shone with concern.

“I am thankful that _that kid_ was there, but I need you to be careful around boys your age. They know what happened; they can take advantage of that. I’m just looking out for you.” She knew his words were true, but not enough that it warranted his disgust for Link.

“Boys, my age? What about men your age?”

“That’s not—I meant. Just—” She cut him off, knowing his words.

“ _Be careful._ I know. I am being careful. I’m _always_ being careful. Can’t you see that?” Her voice trembled as she yelled.

“I know you are, sweetheart.” He chose his tone and words carefully now, but it only fueled her fire.

“Don’t baby me! I’m seventeen!” Her arms folded across her chest. “I think I know who I should and shouldn’t be around.” He took a deep breath.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. I just need you to understand my concerns.” She looked away from him. “I trust you and your judgment. If you think he’s a good kid, then I’m glad you have a friend. But I can’t trust strange boys from Hyrule. I just ask that you really think about the company you keep.” Her eyes found his again, never losing the anger in them.

“I have.” She stormed off, heading for her bedroom, abandoning any hopes for a normal dinner.

\---

Zelda felt them, every hushed whisper, every sideways glance. All eyes stared at her as she passed by. If she were stronger, she’d tell them all to ‘ _fuck off._ ’ If she were weaker, she’d be a puddle in the middle of the hallway, giving them all the more reason to stare. But today, she was just the right combination of strong and weak to keep her head up and ignore them.

She had prepared for this all weekend, fully knowing that her breakdown would be the only topic on everybody’s lips. Weighing her options, she had decided that there were two reasons she had to come back this morning: she couldn’t stand another second alone with her father, and she had told Link that she would. She glanced up at the clock in the hallway, noticing that she was running late. She wondered if Link would still be at the locker section waiting for her, her heart pumping slightly harder at the thought. Sometimes they wouldn’t meet until after lunch, but usually they saw each other first thing in the morning.

As she rounded the corner, she got her answer, watching Link walk away in the opposite direction. She could call out to him, but she doubted he’d want the extra attention. She saw the way the people he walked by looked at him—probably noticing him for the first time now as the quiet kid who beat up Groose—and the whispers that followed. He kept his head down, barely seeming to notice. She wondered how much he noticed and just how much he pretended to ignore. God, they were too similar.

He disappeared at the end of the hallway as she continued to her locker. As she undid the lock, a small piece of paper floated to the floor. She’d notice that faintly blue-lined page anywhere. She bent down and lifted it off the linoleum.

“ _Good morning.”_

A warmth grew from her heart and spread throughout her chest as her eyes read over the words. Her heart thumped slightly harder again—to herself she denied it—as she smiled, folding the note precisely through the middle and tucking it into her pocket. It no longer mattered how many eyes were on her or how late for first period she was going to be, she would have a good day today.

Hours later, Link’s eyes scanned around the locker section, looking for any sign of her. It was the end of the day now and he had yet to run into her once. He worried slightly, but thought maybe she hadn’t come to school today, taking another mental health day. A part of him—no matter how much he tried to squash it down—missed her. He hadn’t realized how much their little interactions kept him going throughout the day.

He yawned, running his hand down his face. The bruising had mostly subsided, just tinting his skin a sickly yellow around his temple. The scratches had crusted over, and his fingers could barely resist the desire to pick it all off, revealing the slight pinkish skin beneath. He looked better than last week, but still not great. He had remained locked out all weekend, only allowed to return home this morning to shower, eat, and dress in clean clothes. Keeping himself awake after Friday’s dream wasn’t easy while catching up with his farm duties, but he had done it, and his body was feeling it.

He looked around one last time, deciding that she wasn’t coming, and strode to the back entrance of the building to catch his bus. He hoped she hadn’t changed her mind about their friendship and was avoiding him now, but it wouldn’t surprise him. She had the entire weekend to think about it, get a complete handle on her emotions and further process the event with Groose. She probably didn’t need the extra challenge that came with being Link’s friend. He pulled his coat around his body tighter as he exited the building with the other horde of teenagers.

“Hey, you want a ride home?”

Link spun around to find Zelda standing beside the back door with her car keys dangling in her hand, a tepid smile upon her lips. His heart fluttered in excitement at the sound of her voice, an uncomfortable feeling for him. Her body radiated exhaustion from her sunken eyes and slouched posture to her messy hair and tense expression. He figured he couldn’t look much better given his weekend, but still letting a similar smile spread across his face. He didn’t necessarily want her to drive him home, but the fact that he hadn’t seen her all day made the option all the more inviting. He nodded, walking the short distance towards her.

“Oh, good. I don’t have to harass you this time,” she joked. Link’s smile widened. “I would’ve though. I hope you know that.” He nodded, knowing she wasn’t lying.

They walked side by side in silence to the parking lot before reaching her car and climbing inside together, neither taking much notice to all the eyes watching them curiously. Zelda reset the navigation app, the address from their last journey still inputted, making the task easier. Link grabbed the tiny notebook from his pocket and turned to an empty page, readying himself to talk with her again. On cue, she turned to face him.

“Sorry I didn’t see you earlier. I’ve been running late all day.” He gave a thumbs-up, meaning all was good. Even with heavy eyes and a foggy brain, she felt talkative. It had only been two days since their last conversation, but it was two long, unrested days thinking about everything she could discuss with Link. “I was thinking, and I had an idea that I think you might like.”

He nodded gently, encouraging her to continue. “I’ll just show you,” she stated, putting the car into motion. It wasn’t long until they rolled to the first stop sign exiting the school grounds. She turned to him and asked, “What’s your favorite color?”

His brow wrinkled in confusion. No one had asked him that question since elementary school. She giggled in response, leaving the car motionless at the stop sign, “I’m not moving until you answer.”

He shrugged slightly—did he even have a favorite color?—before scribbling onto the page, “ _Green.”_

She released the brake and continued driving. “Blue. Now it’s your turn. Ask me a question.”

Link eyed her for a moment, unsure what she was playing at. She noticed his gaze and smirked, not saying anything because it was his turn. He saw the next stop sign appear in front of them. Knowing that Zelda would keep her word and not move until he asked her something, he figured he’d play along. “ _Favorite animal?”_

She stopped, peering over at the notebook. “I’m so boring. Cats, hands down. You?”

“ _Horses.”_ The car rolled through.

“Oh yeah, you live on a farm, huh?” He nodded. “That’s cool. I haven’t ridden a horse since I was little.”

Zelda deviated from the GPS and turned off the main street, opting for the suburban side streets with more stop signs—or, as she saw it, more conversation opportunities. Link didn’t seem to mind. At the next one, she asked, “What’s your horse’s name?”

“ _Epona._ ”

“That’s pretty. Did you name her?” She quickly glanced sideways to see a smile grow on his face as he nodded. “Your turn.”

“ _Your cat’s name?_ ” She continued through the stop sign.

“I have two. Gemini is an orange sweetheart, and Royal is a fluffy, white long-hair. She’s such a bastard, but I love her.” Link laughed, letting all the air through his nose again. She smiled at him. “What? It’s true.”

He shook his head, still grinning.

“So, how was your weekend?” she asked. His smile faltered as he contemplated how to respond, the notebook lying blank in front of him. Making small talk like this was easier than opening up about himself and his feelings. The act was still too foreign and new. Zelda picked up on his hesitation, driving through the red sign and stating, “Take your time.”

“ _Not great,”_ he wrote by the next one. She appreciated his effort to open up, but decided to push him more.

“I’m sorry. You can tell me about it if you want.”

Link paused again. This is what friends did. If he wanted to be friends with her, she needed to know him, to learn his secrets, to comfort his bad days. He definitely wasn’t ready for that, not knowing if he would ever fully be ready for that. He shook his head.

“No worries,” Zelda said. She didn’t feel slighted. She understood that Link was quiet for a reason, but knew she could slowly work him out of his shell if he wanted it. No matter how long it would take, she was willing to put in the work. “I didn’t have a good weekend, and I don’t want to talk about either.”

The first long silence permeated through the car. At least this ride was going better than their last. The roads turned into the winding country roads again. There were only a handful of stop signs left, and the space between them was further stretched out than on the suburban streets. As they reached the next stop sign, Zelda quietly said, “Whenever you’re ready, it’s your turn.” She laxed on the rules, allowing another sign to pass before he responded.

“ _Favorite class?”_ Back to small talk.

“Science. I’m taking AP Bio right now, and I love it. How about you?” Minutes passed before she could look at his response.

“ _Art.”_

“Really? I wouldn’t have guessed that.” He shrugged sheepishly. “What do you do?”

“ _I draw._ ”

“You’ll have to show me sometime.” He shrugged again, turning away from her gaze, almost embarrassed. He definitely didn’t want to do that. The car rolled into the four-way intersection of dirt roads, signaling the end of their ride. Both of them sat quietly, not wanting this moment to end.

Zelda sighed deeply, looking over at Link. “This was nice.” He looked back at her and nodded, a tiny smile on his lips. She yawned, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. He resisted the urge to do the same. “You don’t have a cell phone, do you?”

He shook his head. Being mute with deaf grandparents and only two semi-friends, it really wasn’t a necessity.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” She yawned again, bringing her hands to her eyes and rubbing gently, her exhaustion beginning to overwhelm her. “Well, I guess I’ll just see you tomorrow then?”

“ _See you tomorrow, Zelda,”_ he showed her, nodding.

Butterflies tickled the inside of her stomach at the sight of her name in his handwriting. She squashed them down, blaming it on her fatigued mind. He tucked the notebook back into his pocket. His fingers gripped around the latch and hesitantly pulled the door open, stepping out.

“Link?” Her voice just barely above a whisper. He leaned back down into the car, one hand on the door with the other on the roof, and gazed at her. She stared ahead into the fields, an unreadable expression painted on her face. Her mind was thinking hard; he could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. It almost made him get back in the car, feeling the importance in the words she’d speak.

In an instant, her expression changed back to happiness. Her eyes flashed back to his, and she grinned her normal grin. “Nevermind.”

She couldn’t fool him though. His eyes lingered on hers for a moment longer, hoping she’d elaborate but knowing she wouldn’t. He saw the exhaustion in her face, the sadness she was painting over with her smile. He took his hand off the roof, holding it up to his chest in the thumbs-up position and looking at her with a quizzical expression: _Are you okay?_

She understood what he meant and gently returned the thumbs-up to him with a few nods. Then she mirrored his movements, asking him the same. He faintly smiled, reasserting the position of his thumb. They were both okay, even if it wasn’t true in the slightest.

He pulled away from the car and closed the door. He waved softly, and she returned it before he continued down the road towards the farm house. She didn’t know why, but as she returned home, she buried herself in her bed with tears in her eyes, her unspoken words devouring her mind. It would have to wait until tomorrow, after another night, another nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I had some life stuff happen, but I also just really struggled writing this one.  
> As always, hope you enjoyed it and thanks for the feedback!


	5. A Comforting Presence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?? An update??? I'm really sorry that this chapter took so long. It fought me every paragraph and I restarted it probably about ten times, but at least now I have a bunch of extra material written that I'll eventually use somewhere else, so I guess there's a plus side. As always, thank you for the wonderful responses and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter!

Zelda’s fingers anxiously picked the dry skin around her nails as she sat in the waiting room of her psychiatrist's office. A relaxing spa-like tune lulled softly through the minimally decorated space as she crossed her right leg over her left, unable to find a comfortable sitting position. She took a deep breath and shook her hands out, releasing some of the built-up tension she held onto.

A lot had happened in the week since her last appointment with Dr. Purah, but if she were being honest with herself, she knew she was anxious to talk about Link. He had become more important to her with every encounter and no one knew just how attached she was becoming to the dirty blonde farm boy. Her father hadn’t continued their discussion from dinner the other night—not wanting to upset her again—and none of her friends had asked about what happened with Groose, other than to ask if she was okay. She needed someone to know, to validate her feelings.

There was a little knot growing in her stomach, making her hands tremble. What if Dr. Purah cautioned her like her father? What if she didn’t like Link either? The thought hurt her heart.

The door on her right opened and Dr. Purah stuck her head out from behind it. She was a tiny, older woman with short white hair and circular red-rimmed glasses. She waved, and Zelda smiled.

“You can come on back.”

Zelda stood and followed Purah through the door. They walked the short distance down the hallway past other patients in sessions to her office. She closed the door as Zelda sat down on the plush green bean bag chair. She liked this chair out of all the others because its texture allowed her fingers to anxiously pluck at something that wasn’t her nails or her clothing while she talked. It also made her feel like a child in a way that helped her feel more vulnerable and open to discuss things. The office matched the waiting room for its minimal yet relaxing decor. On the small end table beside Zelda, there was an electronic waterfall that mimicked the sound of a bubbling creek. It added to the atmosphere of peace that Dr. Purah fostered to make her patients feel comfortable.

Across from her, Purah sat down on one of the tan leather chairs and opened a writing tablet in her lap. Her smile eased Zelda’s worries as she asked, “How has your past week been?”

“Interesting,” Zelda responded, kind of laughing to herself.

“Oh? What happened?”

“Well, a lot,” she said truthfully. Her fingers wound themselves around the fabric of her chair. “I don’t even know where to start, if I’m being honest.”

“That’s alright. How about we just go one day at a time? Did anything happen on Wednesday?” Dr. Purah’s hand scribbled along the page as she maintained eye contact. Zelda’s head shook. “Thursday then?” She nodded, dropping her eyes to her lap with a deep breath. Dr. Purah remained silent, giving her space to speak when she was ready.

“Well, I—uhm—I made a new friend and I—umm,” she paused, finding it hard to voice the words even though she wanted to. “I was almost assaulted.” Purah’s expression shifted to serious and sympathetic.

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Her hand wrote something on the page.

“I’m okay,” Zelda assured. “He said a lot of upsetting things, but I was fortunate that someone stepped in to help me.” Purah nodded.

“How did you deal with that?”

“Not well,” Zelda said, nervously laughing before composing herself. “I really went into a panicked state. I could see everything happening in front of me, but it was like my body and my mind were separated. I had no control over what my body did, and all my thoughts were telling me to run, to get out of there, but I just couldn’t move. He had me cornered, and I think it just triggered a flashback for me that my body didn’t know what to do with.”

Dr. Purah’s hand raced across the page, but she still paid full attention, nodding along as Zelda spoke.

“I don’t remember anything that happened after Link helped me. I remember seeing his eyes and feeling like I was going to be okay, and then it’s all a blur. I was not mentally there anymore. My mind just thought that everything that had happened since I escaped was a dream, and I was terrified of the possibility that I was still locked in that closet, that I was still stuck with my—” she paused as tears welled in her eyes.

Her hand reached up and covered her trembling mouth. Dr. Purah grabbed the tissue box beside her and offered it to Zelda. She waved the box away as she smiled softly, composing herself again without any tears falling.

“The next thing I remember is the nurse was asking me questions, and I started answering them at some point. I realized that this was not a dream, and that I was okay. Then my father was there, and the principal was asking me what happened. I was really out of it; I probably seemed drunk or something, but they trusted me to tell the truth.” One hand reached back down to the chair and toyed with the fabric again.

“I am very sorry to hear that that happened to you.” Zelda nodded.

“Thank you.”

Purah looked over her notes for a moment. “I feel that your response to this kind of stressor is normal though. You should be proud of yourself. He hit probably your biggest trigger, and you handled it as well as you could have in that moment. Does that seem right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. How do you feel about the situation now?”

“Better. At first, I was blaming myself for not being careful, but I know now that that’s not true. I’m always cautious. He planned on provoking me, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. It happened. I can’t change that and—” she paused; a shy smile spread on her lips. “—there’s a silver lining.”

“Oh yeah?” An eyebrow quirked beneath the red rims.

“I have a new friend.”

“The boy who helped you?” Zelda nodded. “Tell me about him.”

“His name is Link.” She felt almost giddy as she spoke, feeling the knot of anxiety transforming into butterflies. She’d roll her eyes at herself if she could. “He had helped me with my locker on my first day back, and we’ve just kind of hit it off since. He’s quiet and a loner, but he has a good heart. There’s something about him that gets rid of all the anxiety and the noise and the bullshit,” she said pointing to her head.

“It’s so silly, but I feel better when he’s around. I don’t feel judged. I don’t feel pitied. I just feel…” she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“Interesting. So, his presence is comforting for you?”

“Exactly.”

“And this feels different from your other friendships?” Zelda shifted in her seat.

“Yeah.”

“Why do you think that is?” Dr. Purah rested her head in her palm as she leaned onto her elbow.

“Well—” she paused, knowing the answer but hating to vocalize it. She took a deep breath. “He’s gone through something too. I don’t know what—we haven’t talked about it—but I see it. He reminds me a lot of myself.”

“Hmm,” Purah mused for a moment. Zelda continued, a realization hitting her that she hadn’t considered before.

“I also feel like there’s no expectations with him.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s meeting me for the first time. My friends knew me before everything happened, so they know who I’m supposed to be, and when I’m not that person, they feel uncomfortable. Link doesn’t know who I was. He just accepts that this is me now.” She laughed to herself. “I guess that’s the real reason.”

Dr. Purah smiled at her. “That’s great. I think it’s always important for us to have people in our lives, especially after traumatic events, who are supportive and accepting of who we are as we’re healing. It’s wonderful that you’ve found that.”

“Thank you.”

“What about your other friends? Anything different?” Zelda’s head shook. “Hmm, it’s still very awkward?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Well, we’ve tried getting back into the group’s dynamics and one-on-one, and neither really had success, right?” Purah uncrossed and then recrossed her legs in the other direction.

“Right.”

“How would you feel bringing Link as support to communicate with your friends?” Zelda’s fingers tightened on the piece of fabric she played with.

“Absolutely not.”

“No?”

“They don’t know about him.”

“Hmm.”

“And I don’t think I want them to.”

“Why not?” She pondered for a moment.

“I feel like right now I have two identities: the Zelda everyone wants me to be and the Zelda I am with Link. I don’t think those two parts of myself mesh well yet, and I’m not ready to force them to.” Purah nodded, scribbling more words onto her page.

“That’s understandable. I think we’ll be able to work on mending these _identities_ into something more solid for you, but from the way you’re talking, let’s not worry about that now, okay? I think you should continue developing on this friendship with Link, because it seems good for you, and keeping trying with your friends. We can’t see every awkward conversation as a failure of that friendship, but as a stepping stone towards healing that bond, if that makes sense?”

“Yeah, it does.”

“All right. Now I’m going to ask you something—if you don’t want to talk about, no worries—but I’m curious. Have you considered any romantic or intimate feelings about Link?” Zelda answered without hesitation.

“No, not at all.” Purah nodded, continuing her pen against the tablet

“Is it because there is no attraction there? Or do you feel like your situation would complicate things?”

“Umm, probably a little bit of both.” A hint of a blush tinted her cheeks, but she forced it down. “I mean, he’s cute, but I don’t see myself with him in that way. I don’t see myself wanting a relationship or anything like that for a while. I’m just happy with his friendship.”

“Good.” Dr. Purah smiled at her before leafing through her notes again. After a few seconds of just the faux bubbling creek filling the room, she found the page she was looking for. “How are you sleeping?”

“Not great. I’m still having trouble staying asleep. The pill knocks me out, but I usually wake up after a few hours and feel more tired than I did before.”

“Yeah, that’s not good,” Purah said, kind of chuckling with Zelda. “So, we could either up your dose by another 25 milligrams or switch you to something else. What would you like to try?”

“I think more is fine. I haven’t really had any other side effects, so I think I’d like to stay on this for now.” Dr. Purah nodded, jotting down her answer.

“Okay, good. And your anxiety?”

“Could be better.”

“Want me to up that dose too?”

“Yes please,” Zelda said with a laugh.

“All right. Well, I’ll send this update over to the pharmacy. Anything else you want to talk about or have questions about?” Purah shifted her weight in her chair and closed her tablet. Zelda’s eyes glanced at the clock to her left and saw that her session was just about over. She smiled back up at her doctor.

“No, I think I’m good for today.” Zelda felt all the tension she had brought into this room disintegrate as her body stood from the bean bag chair. She felt more relaxed than she had in weeks.

“Will the same time next week work for you?” She nodded. “Great.”

Dr. Purah opened the door and they walked down the hallway together. “You have a great rest of your night, and I’ll see you next week.”

“You too. See you next week,” Zelda said as she grabbed the door to the waiting room and exited. As she got back into her car, her body slumped against the seat. She had never been more relieved to get something off her chest.

_\---_

_Go to sleep_.

Link’s body pleaded with him as he entered the high school, walking towards his locker. His head bobbled with exhaustion, forcing himself to keep it upright. His vision blurred as his bloodshot eyes struggled to remain open. His mouth opened to yawn and his hand reached up to cover it. He hadn’t managed to sleep more than four hours in the past few days, and today felt like his breaking point.

A nap at some point would be needed, but could he escape first thing this morning to the dumpsters to get some rest and keep going throughout the day as if nothing happened? He knew _that dream_ would be waiting for him as he drifted off and was unsure if he could pull himself together enough to make it to class. Maybe he was better off sleeping back there all day and not going at all. He almost laughed at the thought.

His feet dragged along the linoleum, following the same path he took every morning to his locker. His body did the motions as his brain thought about nothing but sleep. He didn’t notice that he had reached his locker, that he had opened it, or that his blonde lockermate had spoken to him.

“Link?” Zelda asked, the small smile on her face fading. She waved a hand beside him to grab his attention, but his mind was elsewhere, his eyes glazed over. She saw the weight collecting underneath his sunken, red eyes and the way his body moved almost in slow motion. His exhaustion shone through every facet of him and her heart ached for him. He had never looked this tired. She thought about placing a hand on his shoulder to snap him out of it, but as tempting as it was, she didn’t want to frighten him or be so bold as to touch him.

“Hey,” she tried again.

Nothing.

His hand held onto the locker, pulling to close it. Quickly, Zelda’s hand latched onto it and held it in place. The resistance from her hand caught him by surprise, and he looked down at it. His eyes slowly followed her hand up her arm to her face where his expression softened gently and smiled weakly at her.

“Are you okay?” His eyes half-closed as he nodded once. Zelda let go of his locker. “You look terrible,” she confessed meekly, looking down.

He laughed, letting the air through his nose, and nodded again, agreeing with her. If even half of how he felt was reflected in his expression and body, he knew he looked like hell. He closed his locker and leaned against it to balance himself. His eyes scanned over her expression to see that she looked just as tired as him. Her hair was braided beneath a black beanie, and she wore an oversized sweatshirt and leggings. It was the most dressed down Link had ever seen her. Her eyes reflected his own in their heaviness, and it made him sigh. She didn’t deserve to feel the way he felt.

His hand dug into his coat pocket and pulled out his notebook. “ _Want to go somewhere?”_

Maybe it was his fatigue, maybe it was the way she looked—mirroring him in the worst way possible—or maybe it was the small amount of trust they had built that allowed him to take initiative and ask. She glanced around the hallway, seeing the last trickle of students walking towards their classrooms, debating if she wanted to skip class. She had never been a delinquent before. Having an emotional breakdown and needing to step away from her schoolwork was one thing. Deliberately not going to class because she felt like it was another. But as she stared into his eyes, a shy smile crept onto her face. She wanted nothing more than to be around him.

The bell for first period rang as they snuck out a side door into the chilly air. Link led the way to the nook beside the dumpsters—feeling almost ashamed now that this was the location he had brought her. She didn’t mind though, realizing that this was probably the best place to hide from everyone else. He gestured to the corner, inviting her to sit the furthest away from the dumpsters.

She sat down, folding her legs into a crisscross, as her back met with the brick exterior. Link sat down beside her, tossing his backpack aside, and immediately leaning his head back against the wall. His eyes fluttered closed and seared with pain, the strain of keeping them open dissipating the longer he kept them closed. He tucked his knees into his chest, wrapping his arms around his shins.

“Do you want to sleep?” she asked softly. He shook his head, not opening his eyes. “Let me rephrase that. Do you need to sleep?”

He smiled weakly; a shrug formed on his shoulders. He was lying, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t need her to see him like some kind of vulnerable, frightened animal when he’d inevitably wake up from a nightmare. That had the potential to squander their budding friendship, and that was the last thing he wanted. He could just close his eyes, feel her presence a few feet away, and be okay for a while. This was better than sleeping.

His hands blindly reached into his jacket and pulled out his notebook. His eyes reopened, and he turned to a blank page, scribbling, “ _It’s your turn,_ ” before laying his head back and closing his eyes again as he showed her the page.

“Weird. I don’t see any stop signs around here,” she teased. He laughed through his nose, lightly shaking his head. She grinned softly. “What’s your favorite time of the year?”

Link peeked through his eyelashes, not letting his head pull away from the wall, as he wrote his response. “ _Autumn. The leaves are pretty._ ”

“Mhmm.” Her mind conjured images of fall: trees filled with red leaves and the sound of crunching dead, dry ones beneath her feet. She could almost smell the freshly baked pumpkin pies and the hot apple cider brewing. She folded her legs into her chest, resting her head on her knees, nearly copying Link’s position, and staring straight at him as he rested.

She noticed the way his nose slightly crinkled at the top of the bridge, like he was in pain but holding it in. His arms tightly wrapped around his legs as if he were fearful that letting go would cause his body to fall apart. Yet somehow, despite everything, he looked peaceful. He felt her gaze but pretended not to.

“I love spring because of the rain. There is something so beautiful about the way the air changes when it rains and how it sounds hitting against the roof as you’re lying in bed trying to fall asleep.” Link agreed, knowing exactly the feeling she was talking about. “But I love thunderstorms too. Getting caught in a downpour when you least expect it feels so freeing.” He nodded. His serious expression softening at the thought.

A long moment of stillness passed, her eyes never leaving his resting face. She watched the wind dancing across his hair, blowing it against his face, but his hand didn’t reach up to push it back. His breathing slowed, becoming deeper with each inhale, as his body relaxed. His grip on his legs loosened, and the pinch of skin at his bridge unraveled. He was falling asleep, despite his protests. She let him for a few minutes, listening to his breaths and hearing the low rumble of a snore just beginning. As much as he needed it, she could tell he had his reasons—whatever they were—for staying awake. She wouldn’t betray his trust like that, knowing that he wouldn’t betray hers.

“Your turn,” her voice cut through the silence. His body twitched, waking back up. His lips turned upwards in the right corner, thankful for her voice.

He looked through his lashes again and wrote, “ _Favorite food?_ ”

“My dad is a great cook, and he makes a mean chicken noodle soup. Homemade chicken stock, carrots grown in our garden, fresh dough for the noodles. He really goes all out.” She giggled quietly. “I’m kind of getting hungry thinking about it. How ‘bout you?”

“ _I love breakfast foods._ ”

She noted how Link’s responses had grown in size. No longer just one or two words, but short sentences. Her progress with him was still progress despite how small it seemed. Baby steps.

“Really? All of them?” she asked sarcastically. He shrugged.

“ _All tastes the same._ ” Zelda scoffed.

“As if. You really think french toast and pancakes taste the same?” He nodded, biting back a grin from how ridiculously offended she sounded. “Bad opinion.”

He laughed, letting the air come from his throat. It had been a very long time since he had done so and immediately his vocal cords felt itchy. She perked up, surprised by the noise. It gave her a glimpse of what his voice could sound like if he spoke. It was soft in timbre and higher pitched than she had imagined.

“I didn’t know you could laugh.” Link shrugged, bringing his head down from the wall to rest on top of his knees. “Huh. I guess I just haven’t been funny enough.”

He nodded playfully as he opened his eyes and smiled softly at her. She pursed her lips together, faking an angry look, before smiling back at him.

His gaze shifted from hers down to her hand resting against her calf. The chipped nail polish failed to cover the slightly raw, bloodied nail beds she had subconsciously picked when she was nervous. Her thumb thoughtlessly scratched at the fabric covering her legs. He had noticed how her hands were always moving, constantly in some kind of rhythm, like a self-soothing technique. She followed his lingering gaze and tucked her hand into the crook behind her knee, almost embarrassed. He looked back up at her with a tender expression as a pink hue tinted her cheeks, and she closed her eyes to compose herself. He saw the hint of purple coloring her eyelids now, a reminder that she was just as tired as him.

_Maybe I should let her rest,_ he thought as he watched her. Though half-tempted to ask if that was what she wanted, he knew she’d give a noncommittal answer like he did. They were both too stubborn for their own good.

A light breeze blew over them, and Zelda shivered, her sweatshirt and leggings not protective enough against the chilly weather. Link uncurled himself from his legs and shimmied his shoulders out of his coat, offering it to her in between the small distance between them. He cleared his throat to grab her attention. Her eyes snapped open, and she shook her head.

“I don’t need it,” she said untruthfully. Another breeze washed over them, and she shivered again, her skin plucking up into goosebumps underneath her sweatshirt.

Link rolled his eyes at her as he scooted closer and draped his jacket around her shoulders. She relaxed against the fabric, sighing with half-annoyance and half-satisfaction, as she felt the aroma of him surround her. It was his own personal smell mixed with the added scents of horses and cigarettes. It wasn’t as unpleasant as she thought it would be.

“Thank you,” she stated, sitting up to tuck her arms into the sleeves and feeling the lingering warmth from Link’s body heat on the jacket, before laying her head back down.

He nodded, feeling more awake now with the cool air against him. He stayed sitting closer to her, keeping less than a foot between them. Her body radiated a little heat, and he could just feel it. She yawned deeply and nuzzled her face into her knees. Faintly in the distance, they could hear the bell ringing. Had it really been forty-five minutes already?

“Is it my turn?” Zelda asked softly. Link responded with a nod. “Do you like living on a farm?”

He shrugged. “ _It’s fine._ ”

“What don’t you like about it?”

His shoulders moved again, unsure how else to respond and not wanting the conversation to take this route. There was a lot about the farm work that he hated: it was physically demanding, smelled awful ninety-nine percent of the time, and wasn’t his choice. When he had moved in with his grandparents years ago, they had told him he would help work the farm and in return they would house, feed, and provide for him. He was only seven.

His hand hovered above the page as he felt a lump of anxiety in his throat. She was watching him, her soft eyes piercing through him, waiting for a better response. There was no malice behind her question, only curiosity. He figured her suburban childhood meant her only exposure to anything like farm work was some bourgeois equestrian center filled with stablehands who managed all the grueling tasks for her. It wasn’t her fault that she didn’t know anything.

“ _A lot of work_ ,” he decided to write after a few minutes. He wouldn’t elaborate any further than that. She didn’t need to know everything. Her eyes traveled to his lap as she heard the pencil scratching against the paper. She nodded empathetically, thankful for his response though it took some time.

“Yeah, I bet,” she tiredly murmured. “It’s just you and your parents?”

Her words hit him in the gut as he froze, fingers clenching around the pencil tight enough to snap it. His chest constricted; his eyes snapped closed. The bridge of his nose folding back into deep canyons as he sucked in a sharp breath. Why did she have to ask that?

Zelda’s sleepiness seemed to disappear as she heard Link’s breath and felt his demeanor change. She sat upright and turned her body slightly more to face him. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t—”

He waved his hand, shushing her, as his head shook. He took a heavy breath and without opening his eyes, he wrote with shaky hands, “ _Cigarettes._ ”

Her hand dove into the pockets, feeling around old receipts and gum wrappers for the rectangular package. She pulled it out of the right pocket and offered it to him. “Here.”

His eyes stayed closed as he reached for her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers in search for the pack. She nearly gasped from the unexpected contact with his skin. His fingers were soft, but cold, and his palm was rough and calloused as it laid against the top of her fingers. She felt the tremble of his hands as they flustered around hers, feeling around for the container. He found it and snatched the box from her grip. As quickly as his skin was against hers, it was removed.

Eyes still shut, he flipped open the lid, pulling the lighter and a single cigarette from the pack. Muscle-memory kicked in as he shoved the stick between his lips and clicking the lighter a few times without success. Finally, it sparked as he felt the warmth from the flame against his thumb, and he lit the cigarette, taking a long drag as it began to burn.

The smoke circled his tongue and traced its way down the familiar path to his lungs, inflating them as much as possible. Instantly, his head felt lighter, and his body felt loose again. He held the smoke for another moment and then released it in a steady stream, tasting the tobacco’s trail left in his mouth, before going in for another.

“I’m really sorry, Link,” Zelda whispered. He nodded, eyes still closed, as he released another puff of smoke. His anxiety was almost gone again as he flicked the ashes from the end of the stick. He took one more solid breath in and a forceful exhale, before he reopened his eyes to her pained expression.

It was a mix of that concern she had for him and her own anxiety. She chewed on the nails of her left hand as she watched him, almost tempted to duck away from his gaze when he opened his eyes. He shook his head at her, dismissing the misplaced worry for him on her face. He was fine; he was always fine.

“ _No worries_.” His face tried to express how little he was upset with her, but it probably came off slightly more serious and angrier than he intended because of his own embarrassment. His body had shown so much vulnerability to such a simple question. How weak and childish he was.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“ _I’m fine_.”

“You’re lying.”

Link’s gaze fixated at the ground around his feet, looking at the weeds poking through the cracked pavement, ignoring Zelda’s truthful words, and feeling her eyes burning into the side of his face. Her fingers gingerly rubbed against the slick gum wrapper foils in his coat pockets as she carefully considered her words.

“You don’t have to pretend with me. I won’t judge you.” He snorted, bringing the cigarette back up to his lips. “I mean it. You haven’t judged anything that I have done these past few weeks when you easily could have. I’m a goddamn mess. You really think that I—the girl who’s now infamous for her emotional breakdowns—am in any position to criticize you?”

He didn’t answer as he blew the smoke from his lungs and watched it dissipate in the air around them. Nothing but the distant sounds of birds chirping filled the silence. Zelda awaited a response, almost knowing it wouldn’t come. She pulled her hands out of his jacket pockets and settled them on top of her knees. She sighed deeply.

“You’re not used to this, are you?” Her voice gentle as can be. “Opening up to others?”

He took another hit from the cigarette as he side-eyed her briefly before looking back at his feet. She knew the answer before she had even asked the question.

“I want to get to know you, Link, but not when it’s a detriment to your well-being.” She wanted to grab his free hand resting against his shin and squeeze it, so he understood how serious her words were. Instead, she laced her own fingers together, gripping tightly. “You’re allowed to tell me ‘ _no_ ,’ you know that?”

He nodded, breaking his non-verbal silence. The cigarette was down to its last puff as his lips wrapped around it and inhaled for the last time. He exhaled and dropped the butt, squashing it beneath his boot. Finally, he shifted his body and faced Zelda again, looking directly into her eyes. She saw through the calm waters of his blue eyes and into the intensity of the vulnerability he tried to shield from her.

He thought about being honest with her and answering her previous question, granting her a small peek into his personal life. He owed her at least that. He picked up the notebook again, writing, “ _I live with my grandparents._ ”

She respectfully nodded and asked, “Do you want to talk about that?”

“ _No._ ”

“Thank you for your honesty.” She watched him shudder as the wind danced across them again. She sat up and began to pull the coat from her shoulders. He immediately shook his head at her.

“ _Keep it_.”

She sighed, bringing the collar back up around her neck. The bell rang again signaling the end of second period. They couldn’t sit out here all day, no matter how appealing of an option that was. “We should probably go back inside, huh?” Zelda asked, her voice laced with melancholy.

Link sighed with her and nodded, pushing himself off the ground. He stood over her and stuck out his hand, offering to help her up. She smiled at him, wrapping her hand into his. His fingers were still cold, and the plushy part of his palm was still calloused, but it was nice to touch him. He tugged softly, pulling her to her feet.

“Thank you,” she said, releasing his hand. He nodded, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. They walked back through the side entrance they went through earlier to join the student body mingling in the hallways. She gave him a little wave as they took off in separate directions. He smiled and returned the gesture. They both ignored the eyes curiously watching their interaction as they walked off to third period.

\---

_Nothing but moonlight and the twinkle of stars above lit the cold pavement against Zelda’s bare feet. Darkness surrounded her as her footsteps strangely echoed. She quickened her pace, looking over her shoulder every few seconds, terrified to see if eyes were following her. She felt alone, but alarmingly so. She dressed in just an oversized t-shirt, and the wind ripped against her, nearly blowing her backwards. But she had to continue forward. She had to get out of here._

_Her toes were numb now. Each step aching more than the last as the static feeling made its way up her legs. She hobbled along, pushing herself to keep going. Her arms wrapped around her midsection as she looked up at the night sky._

_“Please let me out of here. Please let me live.”_

_In the distance, she watched a yellow light emerge slowly. It flickered like a flame, dimming each time the wind blew. Her heart tugged with a sense of relief. Faster she moved, her aching body protesting every inch, but it wouldn’t stop it. It couldn’t._

_As she got closer to the light, she saw the shadowy figure of a person, sitting and waiting. She waved her arms and yelled, “Here! Help me! Over here!”_

_The person did not respond. She whimpered, the pain coursing through her limbs making every movement difficult. She tried again, louder with more urgency, but still they sat and ignored her._

_Her feet reached the edge of the earth and found water. The temperature was freezing and immediately her body rejected itself from the liquid, jumping backwards to solid ground. “Please help me!”_

_The person sat on a boat that remained still in the water though it rippled violently. Her head whipped over her shoulder, looking again for anything following her. Faintly she saw a figure moving towards her, looking for her._

_She did the only thing she could do, jumping into the freezing, rocky waters._

_Her body felt heavy as she waded through, feeling her body becoming slower and slower despite her efforts. Behind her she heard a splash, but kept her eyes forward and focused on the boat, inching closer and closer._

_The waves crashed over her head as she sucked in a breath, half filled with water. It burned and immediately she coughed, spitting the water out of her lungs. She had no time to catch her breath as another wall of water surged over her. Her body sunk beneath the surface and each stroke to reach air became heavier. Below the water, she saw the yellow light, fading further from her though she swam towards it._

_“Please,” she begged, staring into the light. “I want to live. I want to live. I want—”_

Zelda gasped, sitting upright in bed, her fingers wound around the blankets. She hyperventilated, her eyes quickly scanning around her bedroom. She wasn’t drowning, but it had felt so real. Her hands trembled as her ragged breathing brought tears to her eyes. She tugged the blankets closer, bringing them up to her face and burying it in its softness.

Just one night she wanted to not be afraid. Just one night she wanted to sleep well. She held her breath, trying to calm herself. She counted to ten and then released the air, only to immediately go back to panting. She took another mouthful of air and held it again, releasing it after ten seconds. It didn’t help. She tossed the blankets aside and crawled over to her nightstand where the bottle of her anxiety medication sat.

Her shaky hands struggled with the childproof lock as her panic continued. She couldn’t even voice her frustration, her breathing making it difficult to do anything. It wouldn’t budge. She nearly screamed as her anger consumed her, and she threw the bottle across the room.

It slammed into the wall across from her bed, bursting open and sending all the little yellow pills flying in different directions. It only made her cry harder. She was so stupid! Her face buried into her pillow as she laid back down and sobbed uncontrollably. Her fingernails dug into the cushion with such force that she heard it tear.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to break everything.

She wanted to stop crying. She wanted to breathe normally.

Her mind thought back to Dr. Purah and all her words of advice. _Focus on your breathing. Focus!_ Zelda scolded herself mentally. She pulled her hands away from the pillow and buried them into her hair, squeezing her head to make herself stop. She was weak; everyone was right about her.

_Everyone except Link_.

Her watery eyes lifted from the pillow and looked across the room at his jacket draped over the back of her desk chair. She felt silly, rising from her bed and walking over to her desk, feeling the abandoned pills underneath her bare feet every few steps. Her breaths were quick and sharp still, and the tears never stopped flowing, but she picked up the garment and tucked her arms into the sleeves.

She walked back over to her bed, bringing the collar up to cover her face. The fabric dampened from her tears, but she didn’t care. Curled back into bed, the smell of Link enveloped her. She found it kind of calming to be bombarded by the scents she rarely smelled. It was different. It was horses and cigarettes and a little bit of sweat, but most importantly, it was him. Her eyes closed, picturing him from earlier in the day.

His smile was wide as he looked at her. His laugh was soft and sweet. His eyes were heavy, but tender. He was relaxed, leaning back against the wall. His breathing was slow and quiet. His hands were cold and rough, but gentle.

Her mind kept going as her breathing slowed.

She could picture herself riding a horse through an open field, the possibilities of where to go would be endless, no restrictions. She would be in complete control of the horse with it listening to her every command. She would feel powerful. Behind her, Link would have his arms wrapped around her, holding onto the reins with her as his chest pressed into her back. His head would lean over her shoulder as he helped her guide the creature. She would be in control, but he would help her maintain it.

Her nose nuzzled deeper into the fabric as her breathing returned to normal, her eyes drying.

Link would lay beside her in her bed, keeping her company until her panic subsided. He’d wrap her up in his arms and let her cry into his neck until there were no more tears. He’d make her smile, make her laugh again. His hands on her skin would bring her peace. His laughter would dry her eyes. He would protect her from everything.

Zelda’s eyes felt heavy again as her body slowly relaxed with each inhale.

His fingers would wind themselves around her golden strands, and he’d let her bury her face into his chest, listening to his heart beating beneath his shirt and fall asleep. He’d hold her throughout the night, snoring quietly like a lullaby. She’d never want to wake up. She’d stay in his arms, sleeping for an eternity.

She drifted back off to sleep, cuddling closer to Link’s jacket as it kept her warm. In the morning, she’d be embarrassed about her thoughts, pretending that it was her panic attack that had made her find comfort in his jacket, denying that any of those feelings were genuine. But for now, she could finally get some rest.


	6. Just Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Almost two months, huh? I'm really sorry that it took so long to update. I wish I was better at writing and updating regularly, but I'm a slow writer and way too critical of my work to just post the first rough draft of a chapter and be happy with it. But, on that note, this is my favorite chapter so far so I hope that it was worth the wait. :)

“So how’s your girlfriend?”

Saria and Link had barely exchanged words as they skipped class, smoking and sharing a pair of headphones. She had leaned down to squash out the remainder of her cigarette and blown the last trail of smoke from her lungs as she asked. Link’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion—though he knew what she meant—as he sucked in from his own cigarette causing her to roll her eyes.

“Zelda, you dummy.” His head shook as he dug into his pants pockets.

His heart tightened with an uneasiness at the thought of this conversation, but knew she wouldn’t let it go that easy. He released a cloud of smoke as he showed her the notebook, “ _Not my girlfriend._ ”

“Not yet,” she countered with a grin. “You guys are getting pretty serious, no?”

“ _Just friends.”_ He brought the stick back up to his lips, a slight tremor to his hand.

“Yeah right,” she teased as he exhaled. “A pretty girl like that voluntarily wearing your grimy jacket around school is a statement and a half.”

He had heard the whispers in the hallways, had felt the stares from everyone he walked by. The rumor mill of Hyrule High blazed with speculation about their relationship ever since Link’s fight with Groose and seemed to intensify any time they were seen together. He was no longer a nameless nobody, but the weird, quiet sort-of-boyfriend of the mayor’s daughter-turned-emotional-disaster.

But that wasn’t true.

She only occasionally drove him home because that was the easiest way for them to hang out. He had only given her his jacket the other day because she was shivering, and he preferred the cold air when he was tired anyway. They only said ‘good morning’ every day because their lockers were next to each other and they were friends now. Just friends.

He circled his previous words in his notebook to reiterate his stance. Saria ignored it.

“Have you kissed her yet?”

He buried his face into his hands, his palms pushing against his eyes, and his forehead pressing against his knees, as he groaned loudly. She giggled, “What? You like her, don’t you?”

Of course he liked her. How could he not? She was everything he didn’t know he wanted. She cared about him more than anyone ever had. His palms dampened at the sight of her, and his heart pumped harder every time she spoke. She made him feel things no one else had before, but that only complicated his plans.

His determination to leave Hyrule the day after graduation meant his feelings for Zelda could never come to fruition. Even if she felt the same—which Link doubted; he wasn’t anything special—he couldn’t lead her on for a few months, and then vanish like he never existed. He couldn’t hurt her like that. He would do what he always did: suppress his emotions, tucking them away in the depths of his heart, never to express them openly. She wouldn’t know how he felt about her, and he preferred it that way.

Though her presence had made him contemplate if leaving was still his best option, he soon realized how naive that was. Abandoning the farm had been his dream for the past decade, and nothing could erase that dream, not even a pretty girl like Zelda.

He brought his shoulders up to his ears and then back down, the pink fading from his hidden face in his hands. Gently, she slapped his arm.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked incredulously.

 _A lot,_ he thought as he brought the cigarette back to his lips with another shrug of his shoulders. “God, you’re insane. I’d kill for a girl like that to be into me.”

His head shook as he lifted it with a steady exhale. “ _It's complicated.”_  

Saria’s face softened as she read his words, the frustration she felt with Link dissolving. Her voice filled with melancholy as she asked, “Because of her past?”

“ _Mine.”_

She sighed, bringing her hand to rub the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Hadn't considered that.”

He nodded, scraping the end of the cigarette against the ground to put it out before tossing it aside. They returned to their silence briefly, both of their earphones abandoned in their laps. Link stared off into the distance, hopeful that that was the end of their conversation.

Saria cleared her throat quietly.

“It might be nice, you know? Having someone to open up to who can understand you.” She laughed dryly to herself. “As much as I like you, I've been trying to understand you for years, and I still don't have a clue.”

He remained quiet, gazing out across the basketball courts with his arms loosely wrapped around his knees. Her fingers spun the silver ring around her middle finger, a nervous fidget. She lifted her shoulders.

“You just seem happier.” Link gave a single solemn nod as she smiled weakly. “So you should do what makes you happy.”

 _If it were only that easy._ He shrugged, still not looking at her. She briefly matched his silence again before her voice came through her lips in a hushed manner.

“You’re a good person, Link. You know that?” He snorted.

“I mean it. If I went through just a quarter of the shit you have, I wouldn’t be as kind as you are.” She placed her hand against his knee and squeezed firmly. “But you can’t let your past hold you back from your future happiness.”

She was right; she was always right. But, he didn’t know how to let go of everything that had happened to him. It couldn’t be through forgiveness or passiveness. It wouldn’t come from loving another person or pretending like it never occurred. The circumstances of his upbringing had left him scarred: physically, mentally, and emotionally. How could he rid himself of something so determined to stay with him forever?

He lifted his shoulders again. She rolled her eyes, squeezing his knee harder.

“You deserve good things, you idiot.”

He sighed heavily, looking over at her and nodding once, as he placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed back. She stared into his eyes, expecting his usual neutral expression, but instead seeing a crack beneath his strong demeanor.

Fear.

It was the first time she had seen it displayed so blatantly on him. She had seen it the few times she had woken him from sleeping, but it only lasted for a few seconds, never lingering in his eyes as it was now. Her heart tightened in her chest. What was he so afraid of?

The bell rang behind them. Saria’s hand slipped off Link’s knee and snatched the earbud from his lap as she threw it into her bag. The rest of their conversation would have to wait. They were going to be late for fifth period.

\---

Castletowne Commons was a tract housing development built for Hyrule’s wealthiest, consisting of manicured lawns, HOA fees, and three-car garages, housed behind an exclusive metal gate. Zelda’s car pulled up to the black gate, rolling down her window. Beside her, Link watched curiously as she typed a numerical code into a pin-pad quickly, and the gate buzzed before rolling open.

They had developed a routine by now. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, she’d drive him home, giving them the opportunity to pursue their friendship further at every stop sign. He felt guilty about it often and tried to offer her the little amount of money he had for gas, but she insisted on driving him and refused his money.

“It’s no good here,” she had chided playfully. He stopped offering after that, instead opting to slip a few dollars into her backpack whenever she wasn’t paying close enough attention.

“We should probably swing by my house and get your jacket. It’s supposed to get cold this weekend,” Zelda had stated as she buckled her seatbelt on this Friday.

It had been over a week since he had given it to her, and she always had an excuse for why she couldn’t return it. She had forgotten it that morning. Her asshole of a cat had thrown up on it,  and she wanted to clean it. It was in her car, but she had driven her father’s that day. Lies, all lies.

Embarrassingly, she had found herself sleeping with Link’s coat every night since her drowning dream. She’d wiggle into the sleeves before falling asleep, and when she awoke from a nightmare, it was there to calm her. She cherished the semi-peaceful nights it had brought her, even if they were short-lived.

Link had shrugged as he strapped himself in. He had other clothes to keep him warm, even if he did want his coat back. He didn’t know why it couldn’t wait until Monday, but figured driving to her house first meant spending more time together, and he had been content with that.

The ride had been quiet since Zelda stayed on the main roads and managed to make almost every green light. As the car drove past the community center near the entrance, she spoke up.

“I spent nearly every day of summer in that pool when I was growing up. I can still taste the chlorine on my tongue every time I pass it.” Link's grin was small as he inspected the complex. There were empty tennis courts tucked behind the pool and a playground with a few kids swinging beside it. The pool itself was still closed until summer, but it didn’t seem to stop a few residents from dipping into the hot tub at the far end of the enclosure.

The car reached a stop sign.

“Did you swim a lot as a kid too?” It was the first question she had been able to ask him today. He shook his head, and she continued through the intersection.

The houses all looked the same: tan-colored bricks against beige siding, grey roofing tiles, over-sized white trimmed windows, at least three storeys high. Each one sat far back from the road on a sizeable chunk of land that was landscaped to a tee. Some had horseshoe-shaped driveways out front. Others attempted some privacy by hiding behind short trees and shrubbery.

Zelda flicked her turn signal on and skirted left into the driveway of her home. She parked the car, shut off the engine, and looked over at Link, whose wide-eyed expression examined the house in front of them. She sensed his apprehension.

“Don’t worry. My father isn’t home.”

He wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or worse.

He nodded, swallowing hard. He followed her as they exited the vehicle and strode to the front door.

Zelda slipped out of her shoes, kicking them to the side, as Link watched her hesitantly. She turned around, meeting his gaze with a subtle smile before her eyes traveled down to his muddy boots, expecting him to do the same. He slithered out of them, dropping them to the floor with a heavy thud. He felt a hole on the bottom of his left sock as his feet touched the stiff hardwood floors.

The foyer was a large, minimalist room with a wide staircase to the right leading to the second floor. A chandelier hung from the double-height ceiling, illuminated from the sunlight peering in from the white-trimmed window above the door. There was a slim glass table pushed against the left wall by a closet door with a small bowl for keys and nothing else. Not a single piece of clutter. Not a spec of dirt. It felt sterile, almost uninviting, and yet it was the nicest place Link had ever been inside.

He assumed this must be how it felt to stand in a museum, surrounded by expensive items and knowing one misstep could damage everything. He dug his hands into his pants pockets to avoid touching anything, feeling incredibly vulnerable. Zelda grinned to ease his discomfort.

“I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home,” she called as she climbed the stairs.

Link remained still, taking a shaky breath while looking around the foyer and listening to Zelda’s faint movements from upstairs. Picture frames on the wall above the table caught his gaze, and he inched closer to get a better look, his socked feet shuffling across the floor. A few school photos of Zelda, brace-faced and youthful, hung in front of him. He couldn't help the smile on his lips. She looked so young and alive and…

 _Happy_ , he thought, the word stinging in his mind.

Below him the white long-haired cat named Royal—the bastard herself (as Zelda would often referred to her)—hesitantly approached with a soft clacking of claws against the floor. Link crouched down slowly and extended his hand with his fingers loosely curled towards his palm, introducing himself to her. She cautiously sniffed his fingers, taking in the scent of the other farm animals and Rosa, before rubbing her face hard against him. He traced his fingers down her back and through her thick fur. She purred loudly, desperate for attention.

He smoothly scooped her up into his arms, continuing to coddle her with affection as he stood back up. _You’re not a bastard at all, are you?_ He wanted to ask her. She purred louder, accepting the way his fingers scratched into her chin and around her ears. His eyes lifted back to the pictures.

There was a portrait of her father, newspaper clippings of his accomplishments as mayor, and some photos from camping trips, picnics at the playground, and annual family reunions with cousins and grandparents. In the middle of everything hung a wedding photo of her parents, smiles ear to ear as they posed at the altar. He noticed how Zelda’s appearance now was a splitting image of her mother years ago: long, blonde hair; greenish blue eyes; the same innocent smile.

“Are you kidding me?” He hadn’t heard her returning footsteps, but she was beside him again, jacket draped over her arm and a look of half-irritation and half-amusement on her face. Link’s body tensed, uncertain of what he had done wrong. He stared at her, confused.

“I’ve had that asshole,” she said, pointing to Royal snuggling closer into him, “for four years, and she doesn’t let me hold her. I leave you alone for two seconds, and she’s in love with you.”

Link relaxed as much as he could, air releasing from his nose in a chuckle. Zelda stepped closer, her fingers running along the top of Royal’s head. Every pet resulted in her fingers brushing against his arm. He tried not to notice. In a high-pitched baby voice, she cooed, “You’re a real stinker, huh? A bad girl who hates her mama.”

He lifted his gaze from the cat to watch her as she spoke. He wondered if she knew her mouth curled to the right slightly when she talked excitedly or that her eyes gleamed with pride as she looked at the white beast in his arms. She leaned down and kissed the top of Royal’s head, her blonde hair draping over and tickling Link’s hand. He didn’t mind. Gemini, the orange short-hair, approached and rubbed his face against Link’s calf. Zelda shook her head as she took a step back.

“You too, Gemi?” He looked up at her at the sound of his name, then immediately headbutted into Link. “Traitor.”

Link laughed aloud, shoulders vibrating. She tried to put on a serious, angry look though her chest filled with warmth at the sound.

“Oh, so this is what you find funny,” she teased. He nodded, a wide smile on his lips. She jokingly elbowed him in the arm, laughing at him. They simmered briefly in this moment, eyes locked and grinning at each other. 

Royal squirmed in Link’s arms. He bent at his knees, setting her to the ground with one last scratch on her back. Immediately, Gemini placed one paw onto his thigh and outstretched the other towards him, begging for attention. Link’s eyes shot up to Zelda with a shy grin on his lips. She shook her head.

“If they want you so bad, you can have ‘em.”

He gave Gemini a firm pet and then stood back to his full height. The orange cat brushed against him again and mewed softly.

“I believe this is yours.” She extended the coat out to him. He gladly took it, slipping it back onto his shoulders. He tried to ignore how much it smelled like her, a hint of a fruity shampoo, and fresh laundry, but there was no denying it, her scent covered every inch of the fabric. If she wasn't staring at him, he'd be half-tempted to lean his nose into the collar and inhale.

‘ _Thank you,'_ he mouthed instead, settling into the jacket. His hands immediately entered the pockets, still too worried about touching anything that wasn’t meowing at him.

Zelda nodded, feeling slightly heartbroken at the sight of the coat around his shoulders. “Are you hungry? We have some pears in the fridge.”

She was already walking towards the kitchen before he had a chance to respond. He followed her after a beat.

The kitchen seemed to be lifted straight from a home design magazine with its marble counters and the open concept dining room. A large island sat in the middle with four stools, matching the minimalist design of the foyer. Gemini had accompanied them and jumped from the floor to the island countertop. Zelda turned on the tap for the small bar sink, and Gemini licked from it as it dripped.

“What’s your favorite fruit?” she asked as she crossed the room and opened the fridge. Link remained on the other side of the island as he grabbed his notebook. She snatched two pears and then closed the door, leaning back against it.

“ _Apples_.” He slid the book across the counter for her to read.

“So basic,” she teased while rolling her eyes. “Catch.”

She lobbed the pear at him softly, giving it just enough momentum to cross the counter. It bounced off his left hand before he pressed it into his chest to firmly catch it, mentally blaming the bad hand-eye coordination on his sleepiness. Zelda smirked, taking a bite of her pear.

His eyebrows lifted, asking her for her answer. Slowly she was starting to understand his body language and what all of his expressions and quirks meant. It would take a long time to learn how to read him fully, to truly understand every subtly and difference in his shrugs and nods, but she wanted to.

“Mine? Avocados.” His teeth hovered against the pear’s skin, stopping himself from taking his first bite, as his forehead wrinkled in confusion. Zelda giggled, “What?”

He motioned for her to give back his notebook, so she slid it across the counter to him. He placed the pear between his teeth as he wrote, granting another laugh from Zelda, before he slid it back and firmly took a bite.

“ _That’s not a fruit.”_

“It has a big seed right in the middle of it. It’s a fruit.” He disagreed, swallowing the piece of pear and the grin caused from the ridiculousness of her tone. “You can’t fight me on this. I’ve done my research.”

 _Of course you have,_ he thought, taking another bite.

“You don’t believe me?” He shook his head. She ate, sliding the notebook back. She spoke after swallowing, “It’s technically a berry.”

“ _You’re making things up now.”_

“I’m not. You should know this, _farm boy,”_ she mocked, leaning down onto her elbows.

She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to joke with him like they had been friends for years. Maybe it was from being in the comfort of her own home. Maybe it was because she liked the face he made when he was trying to conceal a smile, pursing his lips into an almost pout. Maybe she wanted him to know she wasn’t always depressing to be around.

“ _Livestock. Not fruit.”_

The tips of his ears turned pink as another piece of pear slipped through his lips. He liked seeing her like this: confident, funny, sassy. It awoke a youthful side of himself he had buried a long time ago. He wanted to tease her back, to make her blush.

“Irrelevant.”

As Zelda pushed the notebook back towards Link, Gemini decided that it was a toy made just for him. He pounced on the book, stopping it in the middle, before batting it hard off the counter. It landed with a ‘ _slop_ ’ against the floor. They both laughed.

“See? He even agrees with me.” Link rolled his eyes in jest as he bent down to pick up the notebook. She scratched Gemini’s head, and he could hear his purr roaring from the floor.

As he picked up the book, he looked at his watch. It was almost 3:30, and they still had at least a twenty minute drive to his house. He would almost make it in time to convince his grandparents that he had stayed behind for detention. He stood back up to a grinning Zelda as he pointed to his watch.

“Time to go?”

There was a tinge of pain in her voice, an almost disbelief that this moment had to end. She liked having Link in her house, liked the way her cats adored him and the way he looked munching softly on a sweet pear in the diffused light of her kitchen. She liked teasing him, seeing a tint of pink on his cheeks, and hearing his laugh. It felt good. It felt normal.

Link nodded once, taking the last bite from his pear. She took another bite from hers as well, mentally accepting that he couldn’t stay standing with her in the kitchen forever. Her hand reached over the island, offering to take the core from his hands. He let her, their fingers briefly meeting. She chuckled. “Your hand is sticky.”

She dropped the remains of their pears into the garbage can and whirled around to turn on the sink. He joined her on the other side of the island, pushing up the sleeves of his jacket to avoid getting them wet. Zelda did the same before pumping soap into her hands and then offering some to Link.

He examined the thick pink scars that enveloped both of her wrists, the indication that the skin had been broken through to its deepest layers. The skin was still thin, still healing. He tried not to picture how painful it must have been to receive those marks. She, too, noticed the scars traced over his arms. Large patches of pink skin mingled with deep lines that had turned white over time and some raised, puckered scar tissue. She didn’t want to know what caused them.

No words were spoken as they cleansed their hands of the fruit juice.

Zelda dried her hands first, then offered the dish towel to Link. She turned off the sink as he dried his. Both of them were quick to rolled their sleeves back down, immediately feeling more comfortable around each other again.

“You ready then?”

He nodded, giving one last pet to the begging Gemini beside him. They walked back to the foyer, slipped on their shoes, and traveled to Zelda’s car. She turned on the radio, just enough that her ears could detect it, to fill the silent gaps between stop signs. As she backed out of the driveway, Link pulled his notebook from his pocket and set it in his lap.

“I still can't get over how much my cats liked you. They don't usually like strangers.” She made a right turn. In her peripherals, she saw Link writing without her prompting him with a question. A warmth spread in her chest. When they reached the gate and waited for it to open, she peered at the notebook.

“ _I’m good with cats.”_

“Do you have one?” He nodded. “What’s their name?”

“ _Rosa. Looks like Royal.”_ Zelda smiled, picturing the moment she saw the beast in his arms as she descended the stairs. She imagined that Rosa probably loved cuddling with him and it’s why he wanted to pick up Royal in the first place. They exited the gated community and traveled along the main road.

“What’s she like?” The car stopped at a red light.

“ _Not a bastard.”_

For the first time, Link’s response made her laugh out loud. She brought her hand to cover her mouth as her shoulders shook. She hadn’t expected that response and that made it all the more funny. He was joking with her! When she caught her breath, her heart soared as she saw the look in his eyes, the satisfaction from making her laugh that hard. She could get used to that look.

“Good one.” He nodded, beaming.

The car continued, turning down a suburban street with more stop signs.

“Your turn,” she said, pressing on the brake.

“ _Have you always lived there?”_

“Mhmm. My parents bought it before I was born. It has more bedrooms than we needed because they planned on having more children, but I was a umm—” she paused, almost laughing, “—a handful.”

She released the brake, moving forward. “Can I ask you about that?”

Her new technique to avoid upsetting him with personal questions was to ask for permission to talk about it first. She had learned the hard way how some innocent questions were a lot for him to deal with so she had carefully considered what to ask and how to ask it. He nodded.

“Do you have any siblings?”

“ _No.”_

She turned left.

“ _Do you have any more pets?”_  

“We had a dog, Charlie. I got him for my 5th birthday, but he passed away last year. He was a good boy.” Link nodded sympathetically. “When’s your birthday?”

He suddenly felt shy, his hand hovering above the page. At his hesitation, she kept her foot on the brake, questioning, “What?”

He sighed, knowing she wouldn’t keep driving until he told her. He wrote his response and handed the notebook over without looking at her. She grabbed it from him, almost frowning as she changed pedals.

“Tomorrow?”

He tentatively nodded, still avoiding eye contact. The notebook dropped back into his lap.

“We should do something,” her tone shifting from neutral to excited at the prospect of hanging out with him again so soon. She wouldn’t have time to prepare anything, which was disappointing, but she would try to figure something out. That’s what friends did after all. “Is it your eighteenth?”

He heard the happiness in her voice, feeling apprehension swell in his chest. There had been zero birthday celebrations for him since he had moved in with his grandparents and the ones before that were hazy memories that he tried to repress anyways. The idea of those memories resurfacing terrified him, almost knowing that nothing good could from them.

“We should do something,” she repeated, then adding to mask her desperation, “unless you already have plans. It’s okay if you do.”

When he didn’t respond at the next stop sign, she left the car sitting. The radio static slightly filled the space between them.

“Do you?”

He felt the pressure building in the pit of his stomach as she awaited his words, her expectant eyes boring into him. She wouldn’t understand. Her worst birthdays were likely sleepovers with friends gone awry or not getting the present she really wanted. His eyes flashed to the rear-view mirror to see a car approaching them from behind. Hastily, he wrote a reply.

“ _I don’t want anything.”_

Zelda released the brake, not satisfied with his answer. “Nothing?” He reaffirmed his stance. “But it’s a milestone birthday! Eighteen’s a big one, an important one.”

Link’s head shook back and forth. He couldn’t imagine how silly he’d feel having a day dedicated to him and his _importance._ He could laugh at the thought. He wasn’t important, wasn’t special; he was nothing, nobody, even if Zelda disagreed. The gesture was nice—everything she did for him was nice—but unnecessary. He underlined his previous words at the next sign.

“Why not?”

He heard the irritation now, a frustration that came from him not being a clear communicator. He shrugged. Celebrating with her also meant neglecting his chores on the farm and there was no way his grandparents would let him leave on a Saturday to hang out with some girl. Even if he wanted to, it would be impossible.

“ _I can’t.”_

Her vexation quelled as her eyes scanned the page, her heart tugging at the thought of her own selfishness. She reasoned with herself that the cause of her determination to celebrate his birthday had to do with his happiness, though she knew that a part of her just wanted to spend more time with him. Quietly, she questioned again, “Why not?”

“ _F_ _arm work.”_

“You can miss out on some chores to have a piece of cake.” It was meant to be a lighthearted comment, but as she took her eyes off the road to gaze at him briefly, she saw the worry in his eyes, the unevenness to his breath, and the tremors vibrating the tips of his fingers. He was on the cusp of an anxiety attack. She sighed, mentally cursing herself for not realizing that she was pushing him.

“Or I could come help out, you know. I could collect eggs from the chickens or milk the cows or whatever it is you do.” There was a breathy laugh in her words, an attempt to keep the conversation light and to calm his nerves. “I wouldn’t mind.”

He vigorously shook his head, deliberately looking away from her gaze. His grandparents would disown him if he brought her to their house. They would know he’d been gallivanting instead of dedicating himself fully to his work, and there would be punishment for that behavior. Her hands gripped harder onto the steering wheel, feeling guilty for upsetting him.

“Be honest with me.” She thought about their conversation last week when she had told him that he was allowed to dictate the conversation as much as her, that he was allowed to say ‘no,’ to set boundaries. “What do you want to say?”

It took him a moment—three stop signs and a left turn—before he regained control over his breathing. His fingers wrapped firmly around the pen.

“ _I’m sorry.”_

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she said, shaking her head with an incredulous laugh to her words. “I upset you, and you apologize to me. You’re something else.”

Her shoe pressed into the brake. “I meant, about your birthday. What do you want to say to me about your birthday?”

They sat at the stop sign for two minutes, Zelda’s foot remained constant against the pedal as Link’s pen fidgeted against the paper. He’d place it down, only to write nothing, and lift it back up. It took a few attempts to get the words out.

“ _Not important.”_

She disagreed, but nodded for him anyways. She released the brake and made a right turn onto the winding country roads that signified the nearing end of their car ride. It felt uncomfortable to try and turn the conversation back into carefree small talk, so she opted for the low buzz of the radio to fill the rest of their drive. Link preferred it that way too.

The car reached their usual drop-off spot,and Zelda placed the car in park.

“I guess I’ll see you on Monday, then?”

He took a heavy breath, finally lifting his gaze to meet hers. His eyes were calm again, not happy, but at least calm. He nodded, turning away as his hand traveled to the latch. The door inched open.

“Link?”

Her hand landed on his knee, and it sent a warmth of butterflies through his stomach as his movements halted, head swiveling back to gaze at her. A soft pain tainted her voice. Her mouth hung agape for a second before she found her words.

“I don't want you to go.” Gathering all of her courage to finally speak the words she had attempted to tell him during their second car ride before she had changed her mind. Her heart felt as broken then as it did now. She immediately laughed at herself, a pitiful and cynical laugh. “God, that's so stupid, isn't it?”

His head shook, feeling a tightness in his chest. He didn’t know what to do. Should he place his hand on top of hers? Maybe on her shoulder? Or even her cheek? It all felt too fast, too wrong, too unfamiliar. He sat motionless, intently absorbing every word like always.

“No, it is. It's silly and selfish and childish.” She stared out her window, focused on the crop fields blowing in the wind. She chuckled dryly. “I shouldn't be sad because you have to go home.”

Though he agreed with her, he understood that feeling: the one that shifted from pure joy to painful isolation in an instant. He felt it too with every parting. He hated hearing the turning of her wheels against the dirt road as she pulled away behind him and the uneasiness that sat in his stomach the further he walked away from the metronomic hum of her car. Every time, he wanted to turn around, to jump back into her passenger seat and be at peace with wherever she took him.

Absentmindedly, her thumb rubbed against the denim pressed into his knee, likely the result of her constant rhythm of self-soothing patterns, and his breath caught in his throat.

“We should just run away together, huh?” she joked, eyes moving back to his with the faintest smile gracing her lips. “Just you and me in all of Hyrule.” He returned a subtle smile of his own.

Link’s hand rested on top of hers. At the contact, they both looked to his knee. She flinched, only now realizing that she had been caressing him. A blush rose to her cheeks, but in an act of bravery, she turned her hand over and interlaced her fingers with his. Both their palms were sweaty, and Zelda felt the little vibrating tick to his hand. They avoided each other’s gaze, instead staring out their respective windows.

“I don’t want to go,” she whispered, the hurt in her voice returning. “Mondays always seem so far away.”

His fingers squeezed hers a little harder, not knowing what else to do. He couldn’t write anything without letting go of her hand, and there was no way he wanted to. He tried keeping his breathing even as his heart knocked behind his ribs, unaware that hers matched his in intensity. Her thumb inattentively traced over his, the self-soothing rhythm back again, and for a moment, he swore his heart stopped.

“These drives are always nice, but they’re so short.” She wasn’t expecting a response, and Link didn’t have one anyways. She sighed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I’m being dumb.”

Her hand slipped from his, the softness and warmth gone in an instant. He felt a heaviness settle in his chest at not knowing when he’d get to hold her hand again, and immediately hated to admit that to himself. They looked at each other again.

“So, Monday?”

He nodded. _Monday._

There was a moment of hesitation, a moment where Link wanted her to put the car into motion and drive them back to her house (though he hadn’t even felt comfortable there), a moment where he considered her idealistic plan to run away together and never turn back, a moment where he wanted to lean in and press his lips against hers.

He liked her. He liked her so much.

But that only complicated his plans.

His fingers looped around the door handle again and popped it open, a rush of cold air surrounding them. The roads settled beneath his boots even though his legs felt like jello. As he closed the door, Zelda rolled down the window.

“Have a good weekend, birthday boy.” A smirk decorated her lips, and Link rolled his eyes. He pointed back at her. _You too._

His boots felt heavier against the dirt.

Zelda watched him walk away, feeling more anxiety pooling in her chest. Normally by now, she’d put the car back into drive and return home, but not today. Her eyes flashed between Link’s disappearing form and the clock on her dashboard. She counted a minute, then two, then three. He had completely vanished, and she assumed the coast was clear.

She set the car into motion, but instead of turning left to get back to the main road, she continued forward, following Link’s path. Her heart raced, taking in the new scenery of trees and wooden fence posts that dotted along the side of the road as a barrier. She barely had her foot on the accelerator, afraid that she’d move too fast and catch up to him. Her sweaty palms dug into the steering wheel, knuckles white and swelling.

In the near distance, there was a clearing in the trees on her left, and she felt it in her gut that that was the opening to Link’s house. She slowed even more, her foot not even pressing into the pedal, as the car rolled into the clearing. Her head swiveled to the left, just in time to see the farm boy closing the front door behind him.

She grinned, finally pressing into the accelerator and speeding off down the road to escape being seen. He might not have thought that his birthday was important, but she did, and she wasn’t waiting until Monday to see him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're so cute and stupid, aren't they? lolol
> 
> If you want to follow my tumblr to see me procrastinate my writing or to talk to me about LoZ content, feel free. It's the same as my username on here and I'm pretty chill. Until next time, guys. Thanks for reading!


	7. Birthday Boy

He couldn’t feel his legs beneath him, but surely they were moving. He couldn’t hear anything except the sound of his heart pulsating rapidly in his ears, but the car certainly still hummed behind him, and the dirt underneath his feet crunched with every step. His entire body tingled with a lightness that he had never felt before, and his stomach wrestled against the butterflies to the point where he was sure he was either going to puke or pass out.

Her hands had touched him in ways he had forgotten he could be touched. Her hands—her soft, sweaty hands—had caressed his own. They had moved against his smoothly, as if were the most natural thing in the world. _Her_ hands.

Link shoved his own into his coat pockets, a sad attempt to hide how much he was shaking. As a strong gust of wind blew over him, he felt the chill against his teeth; a wide, stupid, and unerasable grin sat on his lips. Did she know the effect she had on him? Did she relish in making his cheeks burn and his belly twist into knots? Did it mean as much to her as it did to him?

 _Maybe_.

That hopeful thought made his stomach lurch. Puke, it was definitely going to be puke.

He reached the mailbox at the front of his home, opening the small door and snatching the few letters inside, before continuing towards the porch. Every step closer filled Link with dread as the smile dwindled from his features, the joyfulness being replaced with a mask of indifference and apathy. He had to pretend to be the same miserable boy his grandparents knew, the one who was coming home from detention and definitely not the one who was just holding hands with one of the prettiest girls in all of Hyrule.

The less suspicious they were, the better.

The stairs groaned beneath his feet, and the front door seemed impossibly heavy as he pushed it open. His body had stopped its jittery movements, and his breathing was even again. He tossed the mail onto the kitchen counter into the pile of other letters and slipped out of his boots. He walked through the archway separating the living room and kitchen to the sight of his grandparents silently watching TV. His fingers grabbed onto the light switch and signaled them to his presence—off, on, off, on, off, on. They didn’t look up.

He casually strolled through the room to his bedroom door. As he inched it open, his grandfather coughed. Link lifted his head, turning it behind him slowly.

“Late,” his grandfather signed. He nodded in agreement.

“Detention.”

His expression stayed neutral, and his body was calm; it was almost terrifying how good he was at lying. His grandfather waved his hand dismissively, turning his attention back to the small screen. Link nodded, almost to himself, as he turned back around and entered his bedroom.

He leaned back against the door once he closed it, bringing the collar of the jacket to his nose and taking in Zelda’s scent. It was still sweet and clean and _her._ The stupid grin returned to his lips.

He pushed himself off the door and hastily grabbed his journal from his backpack. He nestled into his bed, tucking his knees up, and filling two pages with details of the day’s events, taking a number of breaks to lean into the cloth and reminisce about her. At the bottom of the second page, he sketched her hand embracing his knee and then their hands intertwined. By the time he finished, his were trembling again, remembering what it felt like to hold her and how much anxiety it caused him, but in an almost good way.

His fatigue suddenly overwhelmed him as his eyes strained to stay open. He figured a short 30-minute nap would suffice as he hid the journal back into its pocket. He laid down against the mattress and set the alarm clock. As he lifted the blanket to his shoulder, the smell of her radiated up with it. He nuzzled against his jacket as his eyes closed, that unerasable grin back on his lips. For the first time in a long while, he slept peacefully—even if it were only for a few minutes.

\---

The rhythmic buzzing of a cell phone awoke Zelda the next morning. Her fingers fumbled blindly around the sheets, looking for the menace. Her eyes scrunched together as the brightness from the screen hurt to stare at.

“Hello?” Her voice was husky and filled with sleep. The girl on the other end laughed.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Midna mocked. Zelda cleared her throat as she sat up. “Did I wake you?”

She looked over at the clock on her desk. It was already 11:30. Midna didn’t wait for a reply.

“Didn’t you hear the doorbell?”

No, she hadn’t. Her sleeping pill had knocked her out cold, but she felt groggier than normal, and the room spun around with her as its axis. She flopped back against the pillows, the queasiness bubbling in her stomach.

“No. I just—”

“Get dressed. We need to talk.”

The call ended. Zelda groaned loudly as her feet slid across the bed sheets to the floor. She lifted her torso and stood, leaning a hand back down on her end table to balance herself. She scooped up her water bottle with the other and brought it to her lips. The water was warm and stale, but it slightly calmed the uneasiness in her belly. Putting on her glasses set the room into focus, which she imagined also helped. She snatched a hoodie off the back of her desk chair, slipping inside it, and then shuffled towards the hallway.

Midna rang the doorbell a few more times as she descended the stairs slowly. When Zelda finally opened the door, her short friend had an ornery, shit-eating grin on her face.

“Took you long enough.” Her arms were folded in a pout across her chest. Zelda placed a hand against the doorframe to keep herself balanced. Midna noticed the slight sway to her body, the paleness of her face, and the unmistakable look of someone who was about to vomit. “That doctor’s giving you the good stuff, huh?”

She could only nod.

“Put your shoes on. The fresh air from our walk will help.”

She hadn't agreed to take a walk, but knowing that Midna wasn't one to argue with, she relented, slipping into a pair of flats and pulling the hood over her head, as she closed the door behind her.

Silence hung between the girls with Midna acting uncharacteristically quiet as they strolled through the neighborhood. The cold air helped Zelda's nausea more than she had anticipated, though she still felt dizzy. As they rounded the second block, the short girl finally spoke.

“I know I joke a lot, but how are you doing?” Then after a beat, “Honestly."

With her stomach mostly settled, Zelda responded, “I’m okay for the most part. Some days are harder than others, but I’m just trying to stay positive and do things that make me feel good.”

"Like what?"

Midna absentmindedly kicked a pebble along as they walked.

"I've been reading a lot of poetry and cooking dinner with my dad. Doing homework feels good—" and as her friend shot her a disapproving look, "—oddly good. I feel like I'm getting back on track with everything."

Maybe it was a slight lie, but Midna didn't seem to notice.

"Feels good to hear that. We've all been worried about you," she admitted sort of sheepishly. Zelda nodded.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Midna stopped walking, staring directly into Zelda's eyes.

"Don’t say that." She glanced down from the intense gaze, shrugging her shoulders. "What happened to you is not your fault."

"I know that." Her fingers picked at the scabs around her nail beds. "But I've still been distant and kind of shitty towards you guys."

Midna kicked the pebble again, following after it with a shrug of her own.

"I can't blame you. We're kinda assholes." She flashed a teasing smile up to her friend, though Zelda didn't have the heart to return it.

As they reached the community center, an elderly man jogged passed, allowing a brief break in their words. The three waved to each other respectively and then continued onward. Zelda thought carefully about how to shift the conversation to something lighter.

"You find a prom date yet?"

"No. Guys are garbage." They both giggled in agreement. "You?"

Zelda thought about Link, all dressed up in a suit and tie. He'd look ridiculous. "God, no. I don't think I'm even going."

"Fuck boys. Let's go together." Both erupted into laughter. "That's one way to kill those rumors about you dating that weirdo."

Zelda's breath hitched in her throat. Judging from the way Midna involuntarily winced, she hadn't meant to say those words aloud. They had stopped walking, standing now beside the gate to the neighborhood. Silence filled the air; neither girl wanted to speak first. The short one laced her fingers around the black bars and sighed, giving into the pressure.

“I saw you yesterday, leaving your house with him.”

“Yeah. And?” Her voice came out meaner than she intended.

“What’re you doing, Zelda?”

“Nothing?" Then adding, "He lent me his jacket, and I returned it." When the uncomfortable silence persisted, she crossed her arms over her chest. "We ate some pears in the kitchen, and then I drove him home. I don’t see the big deal.”

“ _Eating pears?_ Is that what the kids are calling it these days? God, that’s not even a good euphemism. And in the kitchen? You’re ballsy.” Midna's tone conveyed humor, an attempt to lighten the mood, but Zelda wasn't laughing.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?”

“We’re just friends.”

“Yeah, and I’m 6’5”. What other lies are you going to tell me?” Her tone grew more serious.

“I’m not lying.”

"So it's all just a big coincidence? Skipping class with him? Wearing his jacket? Driving him home every other day?"

She rolled her eyes. "We're. Friends."

"Listen, I may be failing English, but I'm not an idiot."

“Okay!" Zelda shouted, losing control of her temper. A car approached the gate to leave, and the girls continued walking again. The woman inside waved to the girls, and they waved back. As the gate closed behind the car, she mumbled, "So what? Who cares?"

"Me. Your friends. Everyone."

“Why?”

“He’s… _different_ ," Midna stated as if the word itself were slimy.

“I’m different now too.”

“Not like him.” Midna's shoe toyed with the little rock, which kept her focus away from her friend’s face. "No one has heard him say a single word in the last four years. How is that not weird to you?"

Zelda snapped back instantly, "There are non-verbal ways to communicate."

"He's always by himself."

"So having a friend would be good for him."

Midna launched the pebble in a frustrated kick towards a sewer drain. Exasperated, she yelled, "Do you have an excuse for every red flag?"

"They aren't red flags! Link is one of the nicest people I have ever met. You'd know that if you still hung out with me." It was Zelda's turn to wince as the words came out. Her friend wasn't to blame for the growing distance in their relationship, and they both knew that. "I didn't mean that."

She ignored her, crossing her arms over her chest. “Is it really the smartest thing to bring random boys to your house when everyone is keeping an eye on you?"

She laughed dryly. "Oh, I just thought everyone was being nosy. Glad to know it's for my benefit."

"Yeah, don't want you going missing again.”

With a sharp intake of breath, Zelda’s heart constricted in her chest. The pain burned harshly as her stomach knotted again. She couldn’t believe those words had come from someone she considered a friend, someone who knew all of the horrible shit that had happened to her. It hurt worse than she could have imagined. Midna placed a hand over her mouth, shocked by even her own words.

“I wasn’t— I didn’t—”

“I don’t need this.” Her pace quickened as tears pricked her eyes.

“Wait! Please, just… wait.” She halted a few feet away, keeping her back towards her friend, as she cried. She heard Midna’s footsteps approaching. “God, what are we doing? I didn’t plan on fighting with you.”

The short girl sighed deeply as she placed a hand on Zelda’s shoulder. “I just wanted to talk because I’m worried about you. I want to know what’s going on with you, not ‘cause I’m nosy, but because I care about you. I miss you.”

There was a soft cry in Midna’s voice, her own eyes betraying her, as her fingers squeezed harder. “I just want my best friend back.”

Zelda bit back a half-chuckle, half-sob as she shrugged the hand from her shoulder and continued walking away. “She’s still missing.”

\---

The car veered left into an open patch of dirt in front of the small farmhouse where Zelda parked and held her breath for a moment before releasing it again. There was no turning back now. Her morning conversation with Midna had only invigorated her desire to see Link again, and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her, despite the anxiety pumping through her veins.

She shut off the engine and lifted Link’s presents into her arms, exiting the vehicle and looking around the area for a sign of anyone. With no one around, her feet slowly crept up the porch stairs, which creaked and bowed underneath her weight, until she reached the front door. Her hand hesitated before quickly rapping against the wooden door in three staccato knocks.

No answer.

She took another shaky breath and peered into the window by the door, her hand covering her brow as it pressed against the glass. A sheer curtain covered the room, but she could faintly make out a dining table and an archway behind it. No movement inside indicated that her search would have to continue elsewhere. Behind her, Rosa meowed.

Zelda jumped, leaping back from the window with a frightened gasp. She clutched onto the gifts and felt her heart in her ears. When she looked down to see the white cat, she couldn’t help but chuckle. She shook her head at herself as the cat pawed at her calves. She bent down to give her a pat.

“Hi, sweetheart,” she cooed in a baby voice, rubbing gently around her ears. Link was right; she looked a lot like Royal, but sweeter. “You're a good girl, aren’t you?”

She meowed again, slightly louder, as Zelda’s fingers moved from her ears to her chin.

“Where’s Link, huh? Do you know where your daddy is?”

Rosa flopped onto her back, exposing her belly as she purred. Zelda smiled and ran her fingers over her soft tummy, knowing that the cat was only interested in some cuddles and wouldn’t lead her to Link. She gave her one more scratch on her chin and then stood back up to her full height.

In the distance, she vaguely heard the sound of fabric slapping against the wind, then again. Someone was home. She stepped off the porch, following the sound as it grew louder around the side of the house and into the back.

An older woman stood in front of a clothes line, whipping laundry out into the air before clipping it to the line. Her grey hair was tied back into a disheveled bun at the nape of her neck, and she wore a dingy, discolored apron around her stout waist. She bent over the laundry basket with some difficulty, wobbling slightly as she stood back up.

“Hello?” Zelda called out to the woman softly, fearfully. She did not respond, continuing with her laundry. Zelda walked closer and approached from the side, not wanting to scare her. She tried again, louder. “Ma’am?”

With no response, she awkwardly waved her arm in an exaggerated manner to grab her attention. The movement caught the woman’s eye and she turned just as Zelda reached the left end of the clothes line. She smiled as the woman looked her up and down with confusion.

“Hi. I don’t mean to be rude. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I’m looking for Link? He lives here, right? I thought he’d be home, but if he’s not, I can leave. He doesn’t know I planned on coming here. It's okay if he isn't home. I just know it’s his birthday so I brought him some presents and I—” She rambled before stopping herself, her nerves getting the better of her. She took a breath, smiling wider at the woman, and extended her hand. “Sorry. I’m Zelda, Link’s friend.”

The woman stared at her hand for a moment, then to the gifts in her other. She looked back into Zelda’s eyes briefly with her eyebrows scrunched together and a squint to her eyes before shaking her head, shooing Zelda away, and turning back to her laundry. Zelda slowly brought her hand back to herself, sighing. Why had she assumed that Link’s grandparents would be any different from him? Of course they were going to be just as quiet; he had to get that trait from somewhere.

The woman struggled as she bent over the basket again. Zelda wanted to help her remain balanced, but felt uncomfortable placing her hands on her. Instead, she placed the presents on the ground and stepped closer. “Would you like some assistance?”

Her hands timidly reached into the basket, grabbing onto a shirt. Before she could even pull the garment out of the basket, the woman took a clothespin and snapped it against the back of her hand, pinching the thin skin sharply. She yelped, releasing the shirt and jumping back. She rubbed the sensitive spot gingerly as the woman glared at her.

“I’m sorry. I only wanted to help,” Zelda stated calmly though her anxiety had gathered in her chest and her hands became uncontrollably shaky. She took a few steps back, tripping over the bundle she had placed on the grass. She regained her balance and spoke softly, “I think I should go.”

As she bent over to pick them up, she heard footsteps against the wooden planks of the back porch behind her. She whirled around to an older gentleman with a break-action shotgun in one hand and a cane in the other. She stood up straight, lifting her hands innocently to prove she wasn’t a threat. He leaned the cane against the house, clicking open the double-barreled shotgun and slowly loading it with two shells, his eyes never leaving Zelda as he did so.

“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. Honestly. I promise I’m leaving.” She walked backwards with her hands up, discarding Link’s gifts on the ground. She just wanted to get out of here unharmed.

The man flicked his wrist up and the shotgun clicked back into place, fully loaded. He walked off the back porch, limping with the cane abandoned against the house. It took everything in Zelda not to break into a sprint, dashing to her car and escaping down the dirt roads as fast as she could. A sudden movement like that would get her shot. She kept her slow pace backwards, realizing now the reason Link never wanted her to drive past the four-way intersection.

The man lifted the gun, aiming it towards Zelda. She stopped in her tracks.

“Please,” she begged, dropping to her knees with her hands still raised. “I’m not—”

Her words were cut short as the man fired his weapon. Her arms wrapped protectively around her head as it ducked to the ground, her torso slamming into her knees. A heavy drumming of her heartbeat pounded in her ears, drowning out anything else for a few seconds, until the sound of her own scream pierced through. Adrenaline coursed over her trembling frame and she swore this was what it felt like to die.

Yet she hadn’t felt anything. No burning sensation of pain. Nothing grazed against her flesh nor torn it apart. The only thing that felt wrong was the now scratchiness to her throat and the dull ache in her sternum from the force which she threw herself to the ground.

She hesitantly unraveled her arms from the top of her head and peeked up through her eyelashes at the man. He had pointed the gun up to the sky, firing into the air. _A warning shot_ , she thought.

As the man lowered the shotgun back towards Zelda, a thunderous gallop of hooves against dirt sounded to her left before a hard thud and the rushing noise of boots against grass met her ears. Her eyes flashed to see Link running, putting himself between his grandparents and her. His chest heaved, nearly out of breath, as he stood in front of her, the gun now aimed at him.

Immediately, his hands moved in succinct motions, clean and forceful. The woman met his intensity with her own hands moving in a specific manner. Zelda felt the heat spreading over her cheeks and darkening her ears, realizing now why her attempts at communication had failed.

She couldn’t understand what they were saying, but from the way they signed over each other with amplified movements and strong expressions, it wasn’t pretty. The man joined in, laying the gun down to do so. Link's hands momentarily fell to his sides as his grandfather berated him.

Zelda felt helpless as she remained motionless on the ground. _What have I done?_

Link huffed heavily. His hands almost defeatedly signing something that caused both his grandparents to freeze, dropping their hands in unison. They both glared at him and then at Zelda. She averted her gaze, burying her face back into the ground. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but held them back.

His grandfather limped over to his grandmother. He signed something to Link, who responded with a single stern nod, and then offered the woman his arm. She placed her hand into the crook of his elbow to keep herself steady and they slowly made their way back to the house. Link took a deep breath, holding for a few seconds before releasing in a shaky stream.

He kept his distance for a moment, remaining in place with his back towards Zelda. She awaited his movement, dreading the confrontation. Surely this was it; their blossoming friendship was over. Any moment now, he’d turn around and tell her to leave, to never talk to him again. There would be no more good morning smiles at their lockers, no more stop sign small talks, no more peaceful nights wrapped in his jacket. She’d no longer have the pleasure of seeing that glow of happiness in his eyes when he laughed out loud at her stupid jokes or feeling the comfort of being understood that only he could offer her. She’d be alone again.

She could feel her heart shattering in her chest as he finally turned to her.

Zelda kept her face down, tensely listening as he approached. Tears gathered in her eyes with every scuff against the grass growing louder. He sighed heavily as he knelt down onto one knee in front of her balled up form. She couldn’t look up at him, couldn’t face the reality of what she had done, what she had ruined.

An eternity passed where nothing happened. His eyes stared straight into the top of her head, and she wondered what he was thinking. As a gentle nudge graced the back of her hand, she no longer had to guess. It was that dichotomy of soft and rough that she had first felt from his palm days ago when they skipped class together and again yesterday when she held onto him. Her nerve endings danced underneath his skin, unknowingly grateful for his touch.

It gave her just enough courage to speak.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, lifting her eyes back up. “I just—”

Her words caught in her throat as she took him in. His hair clung to his forehead, drenched in sweat, with lips slightly pursed and brow cinched at the bridge of his nose. The blue of his eyes seemed deeper in hue as his anger burned harshly within them. Unlike the anger filled with hatred that he had shown Groose, this came from a more wounded and vulnerable place, a fearful anger like that of an ensnared animal desperate to escape its capture.

But it wasn’t the only emotion his eyes harbored. Despite her actions, he stared at her with a tenderness of concern that she hadn’t expected. He still cared about her.

Instantly, the tears she had managed to keep at bay poured from her eyes. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him tightly. One snaked around his waist as the other ran up his back, hand cupping his shoulder blade. Her wet face buried itself against his collarbone and neck as his entire body stiffened with a sharp inhale. He remained still as a statue as she clung to him, profusely apologizing through her cries.

Link’s hands froze in mid-air behind her back, unsure of what to do, as her tears dampened his shirt. He had seen her cry before, but it hadn't been his fault, and her pained expression before she had crashed into him tugged at his heart, even if he was furious with her. He sighed again.

His eyes traveled down, catching just the edges of her face as she hid it against him. A glimmer in his peripherals caught his attention and his head turned away from her. A short distance away left abandoned in the grass laid a bundle of gifts: a beautifully wrapped present and a small white pastry box. His heart sank.

_My birthday._

Zelda felt his body soften, hands falling back to his sides, prompting her to turn her head to look up at him through glassy eyes. He stared off into the distance, an unreadable expression on his face. She lifted her head slightly to gaze in the same direction. _His presents._ Suddenly feeling embarrassed by her proximity to him, she brought her arms back towards herself and pulled away. His head snapped back to her at the quick movement.

“I should go,” she said, bringing a hand to her eyes and wiping tears that had no intention of slowing.

He remained motionless, his mind still unable to comprehend everything that was happening. Zelda stood up and traveled to the presents, lifting them into her arms before walking back to Link. He remained kneeling, gazing up at her.

“Here.” Her arms stretched out to hand off the gifts. “I shouldn’t have come here.”

Link disagreed. He wanted her to stay despite whatever punishment he’d receive for it; he figured he was already in deep shit anyway.

Her breathing hitched in her throat as she tried to stop her crying. In her blurry vision, she noticed the guilt in his eyes now, the guilt that he had no reason to bare. It only amplified her own.

“I should go,” she repeated with an uneven breath.

His fingers reached around hers beneath the presents, giving her a tender squeeze of reassurance, as he purposefully stared into her watery eyes and shook his head. With his hands still around hers, he awkwardly stood, glancing around the farm to see that they were alone. His eyes met hers again as he cocked his head to the side and lifted his eyebrows, asking her to follow him in that direction. She agreed, their fingers detangling.

Link led her to an old red metal gate that separated the house from the fenced-in farmlands. The hinges grated against each other unpleasantly as he opened it just enough for them both to squeeze through. Epona stood in the open field in the distance. He brought his thumb and forefinger to his lips, whistling loudly. She immediately trotted over to his side as he relocked the gate. He grabbed hold of her reins and then used his chin to point Zelda towards the direction of the barn. She could only nod, still too embarrassed to speak though her tears had now subsided.

She remained a few steps behind Link as they silently walked to the barn together, their shoes rustling through the grass the only sound heard between them. She watched his hand absentmindedly, but lovingly, stroke Epona’s neck as they walked, not knowing if it was to calm down the horse or himself. There was still a tension wound tight within him, whether he acknowledged it or not.

He swung open the barn door and immediately the scent of animals and hay wafted through the air. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t stomach-churning either. Link looked over at her to see her nose involuntarily wrinkled in disgust and couldn’t help the tiny smirk on his face. _Princess._

He led Epona to her stall and removed the bridle, hanging it from a nail jutting out of a support beam, before taking off the saddle. He grabbed his jacket from a different nail and hoisted it onto his shoulders, the cool air finally mixing with the sweat on his body and bringing a chill to his flesh. He finally turned his attention back to Zelda, pointing to the ladder by the barn door.

She gazed at it before looking down at the bundle in her arms with apprehension. Link read her thoughts and motioned to hold the gifts while she climbed. She nodded, handing them over. Her hands securely wrapped around the wooden rungs as she ascended to the hayloft. He watched her as she climbed, still in disbelief that she was here at his home. If it were under different circumstances, he’d be thrilled. He took a shaky breath and climbed the ladder one-handed behind her.

They shuffled awkwardly against the wooden slats, unsure of what to do with themselves for a moment, until Link sat down on top of a hay bale. She joined him. He offered her to take the gifts back from his grip.

“No, go ahead. They’re yours,” she encouraged, her voice just a shy whisper. Instead of ripping into the paper like she wanted, he set them aside, his now free hands digging into his jacket pockets to retrieve his notebook. Her mouth felt like cotton as he wrote.

“ _Why?”_

“You know why.”

He lifted his eyebrows in agreement with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Yeah, he did. His pencil was back on the page.

“ _I said ‘no.’”_

“That you did.” She nodded forlornly, exhaling a heavy breath as she stared off into the distance. “I am sorry that I broke your trust and overstepped a boundary. My hope is that you can forgive me and know that I will make it up to you in anyway that I can.”

Her hands wrung together in her lap, shifting her gaze to him, though his eyes focused on the toe of his boot rubbing against the wooden floor. She talked in that really sincere way, he noticed, that meant she was serious.

“I know you think differently, but this is important.” He shook his head, affirming her words. “I couldn’t stand the idea of you being alone today. I thought that you should have at least one memory of a good birthday—but I definitely ruined that, huh?” She laughed without humor.

“Yes, I could have waited until Monday, but where would we have gone? To your hideout?” She shrugged, her fingers picking at the skin around her nails. “I thought you deserved better than eating your cake next to a dumpster.”

" _I didn't want anything."_ He slid the notebook into her lap and she nodded.

"I know.”

If there was one thing Link both liked and hated about her, it was her persistence. When she knew what she wanted, she wouldn’t give in until she got it. Weeks ago, she had forced him into her car because she had wanted to thank him for protecting her. If she hadn’t, they wouldn’t be friends now, but sometimes, she didn’t know when to quit.

He wanted to still be mad with her, but couldn't find it in his heart to be. She had come here only because she wanted to make him happy. That lurching feeling in his stomach returned and he swallowed it down hard.

He sighed deeply as he brought the present into his lap to finally admire it. A dark royal blue paper enveloped the package, accented by golden ribbons. Her anxiety eased, seeing that all of his anger had vanished.

“I hope it’s okay. I wasn’t sure what to get you.”

He lifted his gaze to her and nodded, knowing that he would be an impossible person to shop for. He wrapped his finger around one of the ribbons, giving it a soft tug until it unraveled. A finger slid underneath the folded paper and gingerly sliced through the tape holding it together.

Inside was a casebound sketchbook with a dark, forest green cover. His fingers traced along the front of it, slowly taking it in, as a tiny grin formed on his lips. She had remembered from their talks the things he had said he liked; she had listened to him. A tight squeeze wound its way around his heart as he thumbed the pages, feeling the quality and thickness of them.

Zelda eyed him curiously, watching as his expression changed. It was the happiest he had ever looked, yet the smallest smile she had ever seen.

"Do you like it?"

An overwhelming wave of emotions flowed through him as she gazed at him with the softest eyes. She cared so much about him, and that simultaneously inflamed and broke his heart. There was nothing he desired more than to wrap her into his arms and embrace her as tightly as his chest felt. He wanted to kiss her neck, her cheek, her lips—hell, anywhere that was her. He wanted to know the feeling of tracing his fingers along her smooth face or against her blonde hair. But—

He couldn’t allow himself that kind of pleasure if it meant breaking her heart. His remaining time with her was limited, and she didn’t have a clue.

It had been at least five years since he had cried, but in that moment—wrestling with the conflicting emotions of joy and pain—that unfamiliar stinging sensation in the back of his eyes hit him hard, his vision blurring. He fought the urge, taking a quivering breath and closing his eyes.

‘ _Thank you,’_ he mouthed with a few nods to answer her question. She noticed the moisture gathered in his eyes and grinned wider, happy that she had gotten him a gift good enough to make him sort of emotional.

“You’re welcome.” Her voice was calming as she scooted a little closer to him. The heat from their bodies just mingling, though they weren’t touching. “You okay?”

He held up his pointer finger, signifying that he needed a second to breathe, to focus, to gain control of himself. He inhaled deeply a few more times, each one releasing that desire to cry, until it vanished and he was alright again. He opened his eyes to her peering at him with all the happiness in the world.

“Cake?” He nodded, his small grin returning.

She lifted the white pastry box into her lap and unveiled a personal-sized yellow cake with chocolate icing and rainbow sprinkles, a quintessential birthday cake. It had been slightly squashed against the box on one side from when Zelda had tripped over it, which disappointed her, but Link couldn’t have cared less. From her pocket, she pulled a couple slender, multi-colored candles and placed them into the top. “Do you have your lighter on you?”

He nodded, sticking it out for her to grab.

“I’ve never used one before,” she confessed in a laugh. He spun the spark wheel twice before the flame came to life, dragging it across the candles until each one was lit. The soft orange glow illuminated their faces.

“ _Happy birthday to you_.” His eyes darted to her face, watching her as she stared into the cake and sang, her voice sweeter than any bird’s dawn chorus. “ _Happy birthday to you_.” The flames danced in her eyes and he thought she’d never look prettier. “ _Happy birthday, dear Link. Happy birthday to you._ ” She gazed back up at him, an expectant expression on her face. “Go on, make a wish.”

He inhaled.

_I wish to never hurt you._

He blew in a steady stream, extinguishing each candle until the air around them filled with the smell of burning wax and sugar. They stared at each other for a moment as the smoke dissipated, grinning like idiots.

“What’d you wish for?”

“ _Won’t come true if I tell you.”_

“What? You don’t trust me?” Her tone was filled with faux outrage. His face jokingly scrunched together and his head bobbed left and right. She elbowed him gently. “Well, _I wish_ for it to come true.”

As she plucked the cooled candles out of the top, a realization dawned on her and she frowned. “I didn’t bring any forks.”

Link shrugged, dipping his thumb and forefinger directly into the cake like a toddler on their first birthday, pinching off a piece. As he brought it to his lips, Zelda laughed while rolling her eyes. Enjoying the sweetness on his taste buds, he just shrugged again.

“Is that good?” she teased. He gave her a chocolate-covered thumbs-up, before diving in for another piece. It only made her laugh harder. She sighed defeatedly, mimicking his movements and taking a section of her own. Had she done this around any other boy, she’d have been mortified, but it was just Link—who seemed incapable of judging her—and he was already smiling at her for it anyway.

“Have you had a Kinstone cake before?” His head shook. “It’s this little diner hidden in central Hyrule run by the cutest couple, Wheaton and Pita. Best baked goods in town, hands down.” She grabbed another piece, her molars crunching on a sprinkle. “We’ll have to go sometime. They have really good breakfast food.”

He hummed contently at the thought, swallowing his bite before going in for another.

“I have a question,” she stated after a few minutes of sitting in a comfortable silence. He lifted his eyebrows, prompting her to continue. “Do you prefer sign language or your notebook?”

He shrugged, grabbing his notebook with his clean hand. “ _Doesn’t matter._ ”

“I know a little,” she signed. “Summer camp.” Link smiled gently as he chewed. It was kind of cute when she signed for some reason. Maybe because she was unsure of herself, not wanting to say something wrong.  She continued with her voice, “I’ve always wanted to learn more. I just haven’t.”

“ _I could teach you,”_ he offered. Her grin widened.

“Would you?” He nodded enthusiastically, swallowing his piece. “Show me your name.”

His fingers moved slowly as she mirrored him, getting a feel for the motion. She practiced between bites and his heart tugged slightly watching her spell his name.

“And mine?” She spent less time practicing her own. He taught her a few basic conversational phrases— _yes_ _,_ _no, thank you—_ to make it easier to talk to each other without Link having to write everything down. Now that she knew this type of communication was an option, she was excited to learn.

“Okay, you have to teach me at least one swear word today,” she said in a giggle. He knew the perfect one, writing it down instantly.

“Bastard,” he signed, flashing the notebook for her to read as his shoulders vibrated from the chuckle in his nose. Zelda laughed, mimicking the movement. He imagined her going home and immediately signing it to Royal, who’d be none the wiser. He couldn’t fight the giggle in his throat.

“God, she’s gonna love that.” Link’s nose crinkled at the bridge as he agreed with her. She signed, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Back to eating in a comfortable silence, their fingers avoided meeting the other against the chocolate icing. He’d take his, then she’d take hers. A single bite remained and he offered it to her with a flick of his chin. She shook her head, picking up the box and placing it directly into his lap. He popped the last of it into his mouth happily. With the cake reduced to crumbs, she pointed to his new sketchbook and asked, “So how long have you been drawing?”

“ _Forever.”_

“Really? Do you do it everyday?”

She pulled a couple napkins from her jacket pocket, handing one to Link who set the pastry box aside and wiped his hands clean before replying.

“ _Pretty much.”_

It had always been a tool he used to either escape reality when it was too stressful or ground himself to it when he felt like he was floating away. In the past, he had mostly drawn the animals on the farm when he needed a break from his work. More recently—and embarrassingly—he had a new subject that he had a lot of practice sketching.

“I’d love to see some of it sometime.” During one of their first car rides, she had said something to a similar effect and Link had been too self-conscious to even entertain the idea. Now that she had gifted him a sketchbook, he wanted to fill it for her so she could see how much he appreciated it. He agreed with a head nod, and her heart fluttered. “Now?”

“ _It’s all inside.”_ He pointed in the direction of the farmhouse. She gazed down at her present to him, taking it into her hands.

“You could draw something to break it in? Something small?”

His chest constricted. There was only one thing he wanted to draw and it was sitting right in front of him. He barely lifted his shoulders as he took the book from her hand, opening it to the first page and running his along the paper as if to smooth it. He lifted one leg up onto the hay bale, bending his knee and letting his foot dangle off, as he shifted his body to face hers fully.

It didn’t take him long to do a small sketch of her face, smile wide and eyes gleaming. His eyes darted from the book to her as the pencil etched against the page, and her face flushed when she realized he was drawing her; he made sure to add that too. It took him a few minutes, but she watched him the entire time, loving how concentrated and serious he appeared. He seemed confident, and it felt good to see him like that for once. To finish it off, he decided to make fun of her, drawing a little speech bubble that stated, ‘ _My favorite fruit is an avocado_.’

As he revealed his work to her, she inched closer, their knees touching.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, bringing her hand to her mouth as she giggled. Her heart felt warm looking at the illustration of herself, even if he was teasing her in it. “Wow, you’re really good.”

He shrugged sheepishly, more focused on the little distance between their bodies and the jolts of electricity that pulsed through his knee when she moved. She lifted the sketchbook from his hand and gingerly ran her fingers across the picture of herself.

“I mean it, Link. You’re good.”

He just lifted his shoulders, glancing away from her while fighting the blush creeping onto his face. He couldn’t handle her complimenting him. It was all a bit much: her knee against his, her words of encouragement, her beaming expression.

“Thanks for showing me.” He nodded, taking the book back from her and setting it aside. It was getting late. The tips of their noses and ears had turned pink and goosebumps puckered up against their skin from the air dropping in temperature. The last remaining flecks of sunlight peeked above the horizon, fighting against the soft dusk of twilight. “I should probably get going, huh?”

He let her climb down the ladder first and then led them back out into the fields, locking the barn door behind them. They walked in silence like they had earlier, but there was no tension now, just sadness. Neither wanted today to end. It had felt right sitting in the hayloft, eating cake, and laughing together as if the entire world had melted away for an hour around them. It would be far too long for it to happen again.

They reached her car, where he opened the door for her and leaned his hand against the top of it. She stood between him and the driver’s seat, unsure how to say goodbye appropriately. She knew she wanted to hug him again—this time under better circumstances—but would he let her?

“So, Monday?”

Her words echoed those from yesterday’s departure, an attempt at humor to distract from her nervousness. Link’s lips lifted lopsidedly. He nodded. _Monday._

She took a deep breath, taking a step closer to him. His eyes widened.

“Can I—?” Without finishing her question, she wrapped one arm around his shoulders as the other encompassed his waist. He stiffened, remaining completely still as she embraced him. His baggy clothes usually hid how skinny and small he was, but with her body fully against his, she noticed just how tiny he felt in her arms. She had a few inches on him, his head only reaching the top of her ear, and there was no way he weighed more than 110 pounds.

His chest barely expanded and she was unsure if he was even breathing. Maybe he wasn’t. His entire body tingled with that electricity of lightness that caused his head to swim and his stomach to swirl. It had been years since anyone had held him as tenderly as Zelda was, and it felt overwhelming to be touched all over again, resulting in his nerve endings feeling both pleasure and pain. His arms finally snaked around her, squeezing back just barely.

The wind blew her hair into his face and it didn’t matter. Her collarbone dug into his chin and it didn’t matter. If he didn’t only have nightmares, he’d swear he was dreaming.

Over Link’s shoulder, Zelda spied a little orange circle lightened against the encroaching darkness of night on the porch, a reminder of what was waiting for him when she let go. Her eyes remained focused on that flame, fading in and out with each puff. She hugged him harder, all the guilt from earlier settling in her stomach, as she leaned as close to his ear as she could and whispered, "I'm still sorry for whatever trouble I've gotten you into. I owe you. Big time. Whatever you want, whenever you want."

Link nodded, their hair rustling against each other’s. Her breath warmed his cold ears and a sadness tainted her voice again. He already knew what he wanted from her, but felt too lightheaded from their contact to even bother reaching for his notebook. His stiff arms pressed more firmly into her.

“Happy birthday, Link.” She could feel his smile against her shoulder.

They detangled with a heavy sigh. She sat down in the driver’s seat and he closed the door for her. The engine came to life and the headlights shone through the fields to the trees along the edge of the property. Zelda looked over to him one last time and gave a small wave with just her fingers. He returned it, stepping back away from the car. He listened to the wheels turning against the dirt as he faced the farm house and that orange circle of a cigarette burning awaited him.

He inhaled, her car retreated down the road, and then he exhaled, finally stepping towards the house. His grandmother rocked back and forth in a chair as she smoked, watching Link intently as he climbed the stairs. He stood beside her, a mask of indifference painted on his features. He wanted her to speak first, but after a few seconds of her just staring at him expectantly, he decided to bite the bullet.

"I'm sorry."

She snorted, releasing a cloud from her lungs. She brought the cigarette back to her lips to make her hands free.

“No, you aren’t.”

She wasn’t wrong.

He swallowed hard, not knowing what else to say. She dabbed the cigarette out into an ashtray while shaking her head.

"Stupid boy."

"Yes, ma'am," he returned, keeping himself calm.

"You’re just like your mother, falling in love with the first pretty thing that gives you attention." Any mention of his mother always felt like a rip through his heart, but the ill-intentioned words that came from his grandparents caused more anger in him than pain, and they constantly used that against him. His jaw clenched as he felt his teeth grind. His hands vibrated with a violent urge. "We thought we did a better job with you."

"She'll help on the farm for free." His movements were rigid and serious, an attempt to hide his temper and end this conversation, but she read right through him, spitting back an ire of her own.

"It's not _for free_ if she's fucking you." Link’s hands folded into fists at his sides, and he squeezed his thumbs so hard the knuckles felt like they were going to pop out of place. It’s like somehow she knew that the only two things that got under his skin were malicious comments about his mother and sexual ones about Zelda. She almost had a smile on her face. "Sensitive topic?"

He inhaled through his nose, releasing the tension built up in his hands as he exhaled. They were still shaking as he signed, "No, ma'am."

She snorted again. "Don't get any ideas about her. The last thing we need is another mistake running around here."

He could only nod. She placed her hands into her jacket pockets, staring off into the distance as the sun fully set beyond the horizon. His brow wrinkled in confusion. Her putting her hands away signaled that she no longer wished to communicate, and while Link was content with that, he hadn’t been punished. She hadn’t given him a firm slap on the face or even asked for his house keys. He froze beside her, not knowing what else to do. After a moment, her head swiveled to look at him.

"You’re still here?” He shrugged. She rolled her eyes, shooing him away dismissively.

He nodded once, heading inside. He knew that his actions today wouldn’t go unpunished; they just didn’t know what they were going to do to him yet, he decided. But it wouldn’t matter, none of it would matter. Zelda had given him the best birthday in his entire life and nothing could take that away from him. Not more chores around the farm. Not sleeping in the hayloft for a week. Not even himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, this chapter was a beast: both emotionally and in size. I do want to say that this scene of Zelda coming to Link's house was one of the first ideas I had when thinking of starting this story, and it turned out way better than I had originally imagined. I am so happy with this chapter, it's almost disgusting lol. Thank you all for your continued support and I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did. <3


End file.
